The Child of Prophecy
by Raging Archon
Summary: The end has come. Deathwing has returned, shattering the world in his ruinous wake, and the Twilight's Hammer make the final preparations for the Hour of Twilight. Yet hope still remains, in the form of a child with Silver Eyes. A child the Twilight's Hammer cannot afford to live. Heavy AU. Rated M for language and violence.
1. The Feared Prophecy

**Hello everyone, and welcome to the first chapter of The Hour of Twilight Saga. For those of you that are unaware, this story takes place in an alternate universe of Remnant that differs vastly from the original. So that you are up to speed, I would highly recommend reading my prequel The Remnant Chronicles for the history of this AU. Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter 1- The Feared Prophecy**

Lightning blasted across the sunless sky of the Dragon Lands, followed swiftly by the dreaded rolling of Thunder. A thick blanket forever blotted the sky, a foul mixture of smoke and ash that threatened to choke those that dared fly high to greet it. The sun never showed its face in these lands, and on the rare occasions it does, it always comes in the form of fleeting rays that have little time to feed the plants below any light, the ferns and trees that had prospered once in ages past now nothing more but withered grey husks. A dark pool of water stood stagnant, no aquatic life whatsoever dwelling in the murky waters.

The dry shrubs suddenly shuffled to life as a creature lurched forward to slake its thirst at the pool. The creature was covered in shaggy black fur, save for plates of white bone like chitin on its head, and a perpetual darkness seemed to ooze off of it. Its eyes were amber, and its wolf like head was covered in red markings. It had dagger like teeth for tearing flesh, and razor sharp claws for disembowelling prey. It was a Beowolf, one of the dreaded Creatures of Grimm. And it was thirsty.

The Beowolf let out short hot breathes as it sniffed at the bank of the pool, before looking left and right. If it was to quench its thirst, it would prefer to not be disturbed by another Creature of Grimm or one of the savage Proto Drakes that were native to this land. Nor would it wish to be disturbed by one of the...newcomers to this world. The Beowolf proceeded to lower itself to the waters edge, its long red tongue lapping up the black water quickly.

As it drank, it suddenly raised itself, its triangular ears perking up and swerving left and right. There had been a sudden change in the wind, for it was now blowing slightly from the right in rhythmic beats. It turned and began to sniff the air. There was no scent it could catch. Slowly and warily, it lowered itself once again to drink, when once again it stood up and froze. A shrill roar, faint at first, echoed across the dry fields. Several seconds passed when the roar returned, this time far closer.

The Beowolf let out a savage bark as it turned tail and began to run. It was cruising on all fours, running as fast as it could, the darkness around it fuelling every fibre in its body. It could feel the wind beating behind it, though now it knew it was not the wind truly that caused these great gusts. A small opening in the rocks ahead, the entrance to its den, was just ahead. Just a few more powerful strides and it would be safe.

A few more powerful strides it would never make. Suddenly the Beowolf felt a great weight crash onto its back, sending it rolling onto its side with shrill whine. Before it could recover, a great claw enclosed around it, pinning it to the ground. The Beowolf turned its head to gaze at its captor, a deep growl gurgling in the back of its throat.

It looked like a Creature of Grimm, with black scales and white bone like chitin on its head and running down its spine, and there were markings dotted here and there. But it was like no Creature of Grimm it had ever seen. It was like a Dragon, with row upon row of shark like teeth in its mouth, and a small horn on the end of its nose. Needle like spines ran down its neck, and at the end of its tail was a studded mace like bludgeon. Its great wings were folded, with leathery purple membranes between each elongated finger, and markings were of the same colour, as were its merciless eyes. The same darkness that blanketed the Creatures of Grimm also hovered around the beast, but there was something else that brimmed within. A strange purple energy seemed to weave in and out of the blackened scales, giving off hues of violet and indigo. This was no natural Creature of Grimm, it was one of the Twilight Grimm, a horrific mixture of both Grimm and Dragon, fused together by unnatural means.

The Beowolf let out a defiant roar as it swiped at the foot pinning it down, though its strikes served only to both blunt its claws on the thick scales and infuriate the beast. The Twilight Grimm unleashed its own roar, a terrible croaking noise that numbed the mind of all who heard it. Then with a powerful thrust of its neck it bit down on the Beowolf, its teeth easily ripping through the sinew of the muscle. It chomped down before swallowing, and lowering its head once more it lifted what was left of the carcass in its mouth and took to the air again. It would have another hour before the Beowolf completely disintegrated. Another hour to eat in its abode.

With powerful wings it flew North, covering hours of travel in mere minutes as it approached its destination: a large tower covered in dark metal spikes. Once, in an age long forgotten, the tower had been the home of two great Titan Keepers, but the Keepers had been felled by the Elemental Lords in a War ages past, and had fallen into disrepair. Then, millennia later, the tower became home to the twin Black Dragons Onyxia and Nefarian, who used the tower as their new lair, naming it Blackwing Lair, its original name long forgotten. The tower had been redesigned, the once smooth and dome like structures so commonly used by the Titan's having being replaced or covered by black Elementium metal.

As the Twilight Grimm came closer, more sights came into view. More Twilight Grimm circled the air above the tower like vultures over a carcass, joined also by pure blooded Black Dragons, creators of the Twilight Grimm. Many more Dragons, both Black and Twilight, flocked on the alcoves of the tower, overlooking the ground below or brooding in small nests. But perhaps below, at the very base of the tower, was the strangest sight of all.

Thousands of tents and buildings were sprung up around the base, made both from Elementium and maroon coloured leather. Both milling throughout and around the structures were men and women wearing black plate armour. They wore an assortment of either hoods, scarves or helmets, but all bore a black brooch with the same symbol that was adorned on the banners that hung from the tower: a hammer in a ring lined with horns. The symbol of the Twilight's Hammer.

The Twilight Grimm flew to one of the ramparts, where already Twilight Grimm were flocking. As the Twilight Grimm landed, it carelessly dropped the carcass, ripping at what remained of the Beowolf's body. Even before it had landed, other Twilight Grimm milled around the sight of the carcass, smaller Twilight Grimm snatching scraps of disintegrating flesh whilst they still could. The Twilight Grimm were quick to turn on one another, hissing and biting at one another as the body slowly melted away.

As the Twilight Grimm fought one another, a great moaning bell rang out throughout the tower, causing the Twilight's Hammer cultists below to slowly turn their heads to the many altars that littered the earth, slowly chanting in long forgotten languages as they approached the altars, some carrying staffs bashing the ends of the weapons in a rhythmic beat. As the cultists continued with their rites, another gathering was occurring within the tower, amongst the leaders of the cult.

As each of the leaders came, they handed whatever weapons they carried with them over to the guards that stood either side of the doorway. The room they met one another in was grand, lit up by flames on spiked torch sconce's that lined the wall as well as a Gothic chandelier that hung from the ceiling. In the centre was a large black table, surrounded by chairs of similar design with a single chair at the North end of the table. In total there were four doors: two large double doors at the North and South end of the room and small single doors on the West and East side of the room for the servants to enter and leave through. Either side of each door was the standard of the Twilight's Hammer, the stands adorned with Dragon wings either side of the hammer.

Many of the leaders had already gathered and were sat on the table, passing the time in their own ways. On the eastern side of the table sat four figures, hooded and cloaked in the colours of the Twilight's Hammer. Their faces were concealed and they showed no skin, yet beneath their hoods primal lights streamed out, and they spoke to no one but each other in harsh whispers, the words they spoke meaning nothing to those that listened.

On the western side of the table sat three figures, each one more different than the last. Close to the southern end of the table was a woman, her skin pale and her ebony hair flowing down her bare shoulders. She wore a sleeveless purple robe that was covered in runes, and black linen was wrapped around her forearms. A silvery veil, that usually concealed the lower portion of her face, was instead looped around her slender neck, revealing her attractive features to those present.

Next to her was a black skinned bull Faunus, his large frame covered neck to toe in black armour that seemed to glow with a faint purple light. The shoulder-guards on his armour were designed to look like the head of a Dragon, whilst the helmet which he had laid on the table was designed to look like the very head of the corrupted Aspect Deathwing himself. His face was set in a stern expression, with purple eyes that seemed to scan those present for any weaknesses. The only hair on his head was the short forked beard that ran across his lower jaw, with two long black horns sprouting either side of his head. The majority of his face was also covered by a grey ash like war paint, designed to look like that of a human skull.

Perhaps the strangest present however, was the man that sat closest to the northern end of the table...at least if he could be called a man any more. He had once been human, and a very valuable one to the cult as well. He had been one of their deadliest servants, and held a large swathe of land in the Kingdom of Atlas. But in recent months, he had undergone an experimental ritual, fusing his soul with the essence of not one, but two Elemental spirits. Now his skin was ice, hard as diamonds, and his eyes glowed a deathly blue colour. Purple leather was draped across his legs and shoulders, and black Elementium was bound across his forearms and shins. Now he had power over the Element of Ice, and he used these powers to deadly effect.

The northern doors suddenly swung open, and those that were present suddenly stood to attention. The silence that had settled was broken only by the creaking of the closing door and the soft tapping of feet. The one who held the silence was a man, his face concealed by a black hooded robe, his arms and legs covered in silver armour. The man stopped at the empty chair at the head of the table, pulling it back before sitting upon it, the rest following likewise. None dared to speak until he gave them leave, for he was the Twilight Father, and his word was law. And one who stepped out of his ruling would be lucky to receive a quick death.

The Twilight Father simply sat for what seemed like an age, both hands intertwined with one another as he simply stared ahead, not a single one of the others uttering a word, and none dared to meet his hidden gaze. The Twilight Father slowly looked upon each of those gathered, before holding a clawed hand out towards them.

"Speak, for it is clear that you will soon burst." the Twilight Father commanded, his voice rich with authority. "And quite frankly, I do not wish to be responsible for the mess you will leave."

The others turned their gazes instead to one another, until at last the pale woman spoke up.

"Forgive us, Father." she began, using the Twilight Father's honorary title. "We are all just wondering why exactly we have been summoned. Will you be so gracious as to enlighten us?"

The Twilight Father chuckled, not a dark or mirthful laugh as one he so commonly used. He chuckled as if he had been told a joke whose punchline he had found amusing, and the grim mood that had settled over the hall began to shift with the chuckle.

"Be forgiven, Lorthuna." the Twilight Father told the woman. "I have not summoned you here to be coddled like pups still wet behind the ear, nor to chastise you for past failings, known or unknown. In truth, we are here to celebrate."

With that, he snapped his fingers and the side doors suddenly opened. The gathered leaders began to shift and turn as they watched servants enter the hall, some carrying silver goblets whilst others carried glass pitchers filled with the finest red wine shipped from Mistral. The servants deposited a goblet to each of the leaders whilst a second would pour the wine into the cup either to a certain level or when the recipient signalled for them to stop. Once all the goblets had been filled, the servants filed out of the room, leaving only the gathered leaders in the room once again.

"We are gathered here today, to celebrate the success our organisation has achieved." the Twilight Father continued. "Ever since the Cataclysm, our forces have achieved astounding success across the board. The Lord Deathwing has returned as foretold, our Twilight Grimm forces have multiplied and at last we have forever silenced that mewling witch Salem. I am aware that whilst she is dead, many of her pets and informants are still at large but with the head removed, the many bodies will eventually wither out and die."

"Our victory over Salem was indeed well earned, Father." the ice fleshed man stated, his voice cold and raspy. "But we suffered great losses in the assault."

"True indeed, Arcurion. But I do believe that will not be a problem in the near future." the Twilight Father replied, before turning to face the bull Faunus. "Warmaster Blackhorn? How many men and women flocked to our banner before the Cataclysm?"

"About four hundred a month, if we were lucky." the bull Faunus, Blackhorn, responded.

"And after the Cataclysm?"

"Over a thousand, and growing."

The Twilight Father nodded his head before turning to address all of them with open arms.

"And now, thanks to all of our efforts, victory is now within our grasps."

" **Do not be so sure, Twilight Father!"** a new voice bellowed, one that dripped with untold malice and hatred.

All froze at the voice, the Twilight Father more than the rest, before they quickly stood and turned to the northern door, where the voice came from. The doors then swung open, with such force it seemed that they would fall off their hinges. In strode a figure, taller and broader than even Blackhorn. His skin was a pale grey, and black scales brimmed with fire covered his chest. Great horns sprang out from his shoulders, whilst black claw like gloves protected his forearms, and Draconic claws erupted from his armoured boots. His hair was long and black, and his eyes burned with fire, his right eye covered in scars. Five metal spikes sprouted from his brow, whilst his lower jaw was covered by a metal one, lined with triangular teeth.

"Lord Deathwing!" the Twilight Father shouted, rapidly dropping to his knees and averting his gaze, for it was one not even he could meet. "We are humbled by your presence, and are-"

" **Silence!"** Deathwing commanded, and all flinched at the harshness of his tone. **"I did not come here to trade words with a grovelling worm! If I wished to do so, I would have stayed in my prison where such filth could be found!"**

"Of course, a thousand pardons Master." the Twilight Father stuttered out, quickly standing up yet still averting the gaze of the Dragon in mortal form. "We were just discussing our recent victories and how victory is-"

" **I know of what you were speaking of."** Deathwing once again interrupted, taking a menacing step towards the Twilight Father. **"And it is a lie. Victory is indeed within our grasp, but there is still the threat of the Silver Eyed!"**

"The Silver Eyed?" the Twilight Father murmured, looking up ever so briefly. "But my Master, the Silver Eyed Warriors are all but extinct. We made sure of it."

" **You left one alive, or are you forgetting the light show that occurred at the pinnacle of Beacon Tower?"** Deathwing asked in a condescending tone. **"One still lives. I felt her power even through the earth."**

"Her?" the Twilight Father asked, clearly confused.

" **Her name is Ruby Rose."** Deathwing stated matter of factly. **"She wears a red cape and carries a Scythe with her. According to my informants she was last seen heading for Mistral with three companions. As long as she lives, the Hour of Twilight will never set upon this world."**

"If you deem her a notable threat, then I will have her dealt with." the Twilight Father obliged, nodding his head slowly.

" **I should hope so, for your sake."** Deathwing stated, the malice in his voice clear. He then turned to leave, only to stop at the doors. **"I am at a delicate juncture in my current plans where my utmost attention is paramount. I would be most displeased if I had to come and deal with the red brat for you, _Father_."**

The bitterness as he mockingly used the Twilight Father's title was all too clear, and his dreaded presence was still felt even after he had left the room. The Twilight Father stood still, frozen like a statue until at last he turned again, sitting swiftly down at the table, tapping his fingers rhythmically as if in deep thought. Slowly the other leaders began to sit down once again, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"As I was about to say," the Twilight Father finally said, speaking as if Deathwing had never entered the chamber. "There is still much work to be done. Lorthuna, you are to return to our base in Menagerie. Ensure that our allies in the wastes of that continent are still loyal to us."

"As you wish, Father." Lorthuna replied, holding a clenched fist to her chest as she bowed her head.

"Blackhorn, you will stay here with the Ascendant Council to hold the fort until otherwise called for." the Twilight Father ordered, gesturing towards the four occupants on the east end of the table, who had sat nearly motionless throughout the meeting.

"As you command, Father." Blackhorn said, saluting the same way Lorthuna had.

"Arcurion," the Twilight Father then said, turning towards the Ice Ascendant. "You are to return to Atlas with me. I have heard troubling news from our fort there, and I believe it is time that we 'relieved' the commander of his burdens."

"Your will be done, Father." Arcurion nodded, saluting as his fellows had.

"Now, before we continue, are there any questions?" the Twilight Father asked, leaning forward to look at the others present.

Arcurion, Lorthuna and Blackhorn turned to one another and exchanged glances, before turning to the Twilight Father and shaking their heads. But the Ascendant Council turned to one another and exchanged with one another in their strange tongue. At last, one of them turned to face the Twilight Father.

"What of the girl, Ruby Rose?" he asked, his voice cutting through those present like a dread wind.

"Do not concern yourself with her welfare." the Twilight Father muttered, leaning back in his chair. "I will send one of our best to deal with her. But worry not about her. Come, let us toast!"

The Twilight Father then reached forward and held his goblet into the air, the rest of those gathered doing likewise. They then raised their cups to the air as all heads turned to face the Twilight Father.

"Let the shattering of this world commence, as the sun sets on the mortal world for the final time."

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 **And there you have it, the first chapter is done. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	2. Kirthaven

**Hello everyone, and welcome back. Glad to see how well received the first chapter was, so I hope that I continue to impress. First, review response time. Hornofdesolation: glad you liked it. The True Skull: glad you think everyone is in character. And OutlastTheDark: probably see a bunch of people on Remnant shouting 'Did someone say Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker?'. Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter 2- Kirthaven**

Dawn was just rising over the continent of Animus. The pale Autumn sun brining colour to the verdant plains of the continent. Nearby a rabbit peeped its small head out of its burrow, its nose twitching as its ears swirled side to side. Cautiously, the critter left the relative safety of its burrow, nervously sniffing at the grass as it began to nibble. A branch suddenly snapped under foot, and the rabbit quickly darted back into the safety of its burrow, forever wary of predators. Though it was not a predator that frightened the rabbit back into darkness, but four young Huntsman and Huntresses.

The youngest, who also appeared to be the leader of the group, wore a tattered red cape over their black and red combat dress, which she wore over a tan shirt. Strapped to her back was a compact red box, that with the press of a trigger could transform into a Scythe Sniper Rifle hybrid. On her right was another Huntress, with orange hair that was cut to their shoulders, wearing a black jacket over a white skirt, a large white Hammer on her back.

Flanking the pair either side were the Huntsmen. On the leaders left was a young man with blonde messy hair, wearing white armour with gold border, a compact shield at his side housing a standard Sword, a map in his hands, the apparent guide of the group. And finally on the far right was another Huntsman, his long raven black hair flowing down to the middle of his back, wearing a green sleeveless long-coat with a pair of strange dagger like pistols holstered either side.

This was Team RNJR, composed of Ruby Rose, Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc and Lie Ren. Their destination was Mistral, and they had been travelling for many months now, earning little coin where they could chasing odd jobs, or hunting Grimm. Recently they had just slain a Geist that had been tormenting the village of Thundermar, and had been paid a small but nonetheless satisfactory amount of Lien. They had spent most of the Lien earned on upgrading Jaune's armour and weapon, but they still had enough Lien to spare to buy some supplies. Unfortunately their supplies would only last so long, which was why they were headed to their next destination: Kirthaven.

"So Ren, you said you and Nora spent some time at this village once?" Ruby said, turning her head to face Ren, who nodded in response. "Can you tell us anything about it?"

"Not much I'm afraid, we only spent a few weeks when we were younger." Ren responded. "But last we were there, it was pretty busy. Lots of stores and good defence, so we shouldn't need to worry about it getting destroyed overnight by Grimm or Bandits."

"Say, Ren?" Jaune asked, who's gaze was fixated on the map he held. "This place appears to be in a Grimm hotspot, you sure that it won't get attacked?"

"I never said it wouldn't get attacked." Ren clarified, turning now to face Jaune. "I just said it would never get destroyed overnight. We're talking a full scale siege in order to bring Kirthaven down."

"Besides Jaune, the Grimm have become lazy all of a sudden." Nora reassured, though she herself sounded disappointed by the observation. "They've just become boring lately."

Ruby hummed in agreement. It was true, recently the Grimm had become lax as of late. Whilst they still fought to the very end, full scale events such as the Scourging of Vale had become less and less common. It was as if the hand that had once directed them had gone still, or had been removed entirely. Still, they were nonetheless deadly in combat, perhaps more so without their directive restraining them.

"Well we still need to keep our eyes and ears open nonetheless." Jaune argued, looking up from his map for but a brief second to ensure they were still on the road. "There are still bandits to look out for, and in these parts they don't take prisoners."

Everyone nodded at that. Whilst the Grimm may have been pacified slightly, bandits still roamed the lands, always hunting down and attacking villages, stealing away food or defenceless citizens to use either as slaves, hostages or to 'satisfy' their captors needs. Still, if the village was as well defended as Ren claimed it was, then such a raid was highly unlikely. Soon most of RNJR's attention turned away from the road and to their surroundings. Despite Autumn settling across the world, much of Animus was still in the throes of summer, its jungle forests displaying a host of exotic colours.

"Ren?" Jaune suddenly asked, his voice seemingly shaking. "How did Kirthaven deal with criminals?"

"Uhh...the same as any other village..." Ren replied, all turning to face Jaune who had stopped in his tracks and was staring straight ahead, a look of trepidation in his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

Instead of answering, Jaune simply pointed ahead, the others following his finger. Ahead of them was a blackened tree, its grooves still glowing with embers. Hanging from a rope that was tied to one of the sturdier branches was a charred and blackened corpse, its skinless face warped into a horrified wail. All of them were now frozen in place, looks of both shock and horror etched onto their faces.

"M-...maybe it's a bandit or something?..." Nora trailed off, her hand instinctively moving to grab her Hammer _Magnhild_.

"Don't you think that's a little overkill?!" Jaune hissed, rolling up the map and placing it back into his rucksack.

"Guys." Ruby shouted, pointing further ahead down the road. "There's smoke ahead!"

All turned to face one another, nodding once as they each drew their respective weapons. Without another word the four adventurers dashed forward, heading to the top of the hill that blocked their sight. As they reached the top, they froze immediately. Ahead was the village of Kirthaven, or more accurately what was left of it.

The entire village had been burnt to the ground, the walls that had once protected it having crumbled, as if their foundations had been shattered. Within the village were multiple jagged rocks, jutting out of the ground or impaling buildings. Even from this distance, they could see some were coated in blood.

"What happened?" Ruby murmured, lowering _Crescent Rose_ as she surveyed the damage.

"We need to look for survivors!" Jaune ordered, pointing _Crocea Mors_ at the remains of Kirthaven.

The others nodded in return before all four darted down the hill, quickly reaching the shattered gates in minutes. Up close the devastation was much more severe then they had first believed. The streets were charred black, with darker patches where it seemed lightning had struck. Rocks were jutting out everywhere, some having embedded themselves in the structures too sturdy to be knocked down. Yet there was one thing that all of them noted as being strange. The lack of bodies.

"Did bandits do this?" Jaune asked, turning this way and that at the slightest sound.

"No, bandits leave some buildings untouched, so that the village can be rebuilt and plundered again." Ren argued, kneeling down to examine some of the soot. "This was something else."

"But Grimm don't burn buildings and uproot the earth." Nora retorted, jumping up to scan some of the topmost levels of the buildings.

"Do you think this was the Sundering?" Ruby asked, her voice cracking slightly.

When Deathwing had returned during the Battle of Beacon, much of the world had been damage. Cliffs crumbled, volcanoes erupted, even half of Patch had sunk beneath the waves. The land had forever been changed by his re-emergence into the world, and only the wise knew why.

"No," Ren quickly said, rubbing a finger on the charred pavement. "remember when we first saw Kirthaven? How everything except the surroundings was affected? This was a targeted incident. Besides, this soot is still warm. Whoever did this did it recently."

"Could they still be around?" Jaune asked, his knuckles whitening as he gripped _Crocea Mors_ tighter.

"You really asking that Jaune?" Nora asked, giving the blonde knight a quizzical look. "Who'd be insane enough to stay about in the remains of the village they just-"

A blood curdling scream cut Nora's argument short, and also caused all four to turn and ready themselves for battle.

"Where'd that come from?" Nora asked, the usual jovial tone in her voice now replaced by a new sense: fear.

"It came from over there!" Jaune shouted, pointing at the far side of the village ruins. "Come on, there might be other survivors!"

The rest of RNJR didn't need telling twice, all four rushing down the many avenues of the village. Eventually the roads converged onto a single road, headed straight for the village centre. They took cover behind the many crumbled walls, peeping their heads out to observe. What they saw made them sick.

Multiple men and women wearing black and purple armour, and carrying Swords and other weapons were assembled around a collapsed fountain, the former centre piece of Kirthaven. Upon a hastily erected altar was a man who was hooded and cowled, either side of him strange creatures that they had never seen before. One appeared to be made of stone, red crystals jutting out of its body, whilst the other appeared to be made of congealed flame, wild bursts flicking out here and there. Adorning both creatures were black metal rib-cages, as well as a pair of spiked manacles on their wrists and a spiked collar around their neck.

Clustered to the side were piles of bodies, all of them brutally mutilated in horrific ways. Their eyes turned to a hastily made circle of men and women, all of them clutching staffs and facing what appeared to be large quantities of pooled up blood. Their eyes soon turned to face two men who were dragging the squirming body of a man to the centre of the circle, his bloodied legs kicking in protest. As the men approached, they unceremoniously tossed the man to the floor before withdrawing, the man shivering from both the cold and from fear.

"Please! You don't have to do this!" the man begged, falling to his hands and knees.

"You should feel honoured." the man on the altar stated, his voice cold and condescending. "You are one of the very few knaves who will die in service to the great one."

"Please!" the man bawled, tears streaming down his face. "This is madness! You don't have to-"

He was suddenly silenced as a dozen spikes suddenly pierced his body, one piercing his mouth and leaving the back of the neck. Ruby nearly charged there and then, held back only by Jaune who shook his head solemnly. With a flick of the man's hand, the rock creature pulled its arm back, the spikes withdrawing immediately. The corpse lolled forward soon after as those bearing the staffs now began to chant in a language that was harsh and ugly to listen to.

They then began to bash the ends of their staffs on the floor, the ground flaring purple with each strike. The man's body was then swallowed up by the ground as a storm suddenly began to brew over the village. Then, without warning, lightning struck the centre of the circle, causing all to flinch and back away. When the lightning cleared, before them was another creature, this one made of multiple tempests forced together. With a roar like thunder, it surged its arms forward, blasting some of those gathered with lightning, charring their bodies beyond recognition.

"Quickly! Bind the Elemental before it kills us all!" the head cultist ordered, those in the circle quickly nodding as they held their hands out, blacks beams of energy bursting from their hands.

The Elemental buckled immediately, howling in pain as the black beams moulded themselves around the Elemental, quickly solidifying into the same metal that bound the other two Elementals.

"Well done." the head cultist complimented, the bound Air Elemental slowly rising. "With that finished, we are now back up to full strength...minus one or two of course."

"Sir." another cultist who had not been present during the summoning said, paying no heed to the piles of bodies that surrounded him. "Do you require more blood sacrifices?"

"No, we have all that we need. At least for now." the head cultist responded, giving a dismissive wave.

"What about the other prisoners?" the cultist then asked.

The head cultist turned away for but a brief moment, before sliding a finger across his neck. The other cultist saluted once, before hastily turning away.

"We have to do something." Ruby hissed quietly, watching the other cultist leave the centre of the village as the remaining cultists prepared to depart.

"Agreed." Jaune concurred, turning to face Ruby. "What's the plan?"

"You and Ren find and rescue the other prisoners." Ruby replied, pointing towards the road that the cultist had gone down. "Me and Nora will deal with these guys."

Ren and Jaune nodded, quickly departing in order to fulfil their task. Ruby then turned to face Nora, who was gripping _Magnhild_ tightly in her hands. Ruby pointed towards one of the more stable buildings, Nora nodding once before rushing off, leaving Ruby alone. Taking a deep breath, she burst out of her cover, holding _Crescent Rose_ in its Sniper mode before firing.

She fired four bursts from her Rifle, two hitting cultists in their shoulders and downing them immediately whilst the other two struck the bound Earth Elemental, who roared in annoyance at the strikes. The head cultist immediately turned to identify the new threat, only to do a double take and laugh in amusement.

"What is this?" the head cultist chuckled, the other cultists drawing their weapons before surrounding Ruby, who had changed her weapon back into its Scythe form. "Are the Kingdoms sending little girls to stop us now?"

"Why are you doing this?" Ruby demanded, turning this way and that whenever a cultist dared to step forward.

"How naive you must be, if you seek to stop the Twilight's Hammer with naught but words." the head cultist retorted, shaking his head in disdain. "You were a fool to come here alone."

"Who said I was alone?" Ruby asked with a smile, turning to face the head cultist.

Before he could respond, several pink orbs descended from the heavens, blasting apart several groups of cultists. Momentarily distracted, Ruby spun _Crescent Rose_ in a whirlwind, breaking through the line of cultists without so much as breaking a sweat. The head cultist looked back and forth in disbelief before another pink orb was fired, heading directly for him. Though before it could get far, the bound Air Elemental summoned a gust of wind, redirecting the orb back to the building, easily blasting away a chunk of the wall and causing it to collapse.

Nora was quick to act, jumping up into the air and shifting _Magnhild_ back into its Hammer form and swung down, crashing into the floor and sending a shock-wave through the cultists, sending many more flying. Both Huntresses then stood back to back, facing the lead cultists and his bound Elementals.

"What are you fools waiting for?!" the lead cultist hissed. "Kill them!"

The Air and Fire Elemental let out primal roars as they barrelled forward, though the Earth Elemental was held back for whatever reason. The Fire Elemental surged forward with its claw like hands, a whirlwind of fire bursting out towards the two Huntresses. Both Ruby and Nora leapt out of the way just in time, Ruby turning to face the Fire Elemental whilst Nora turned to face the Air Elemental.

The Air Elemental hissed as lightning crackled around it, Nora smiling slightly as coils of lightning sprouted from its hands, turning into a pair of whips. The Air Elemental flicked the whips forward, the bands of electricity coiling around her and surging lightning into her body. At first Nora buckled at such raw power, her eyes going wide as she immediately felt the power coursing through her. The Air Elemental realised quickly however, that the lightning was not having the desired effect, and therefore thrust more energy into Nora.

Ruby dashed back and forth, dodging the spouts of flame as best she could. She fired multiple shots from _Crescent Rose_ , though the rounds seemed to have little effect on the Elementals body. With what sounded like a cackle, the Elemental planted a hand onto the ground and fired a jet of flame, quickly expanding outwards towards Ruby. She barely had time to protect herself, let alone dodge the fire. Immediately she was flung backwards, her cloak steaming with heat. As she rose up, the Fire Elemental approached, its claw like hands clenching into a fist as it prepared to deliver a punch.

Maniacal laughter suddenly split the air, as the Elemental turned too late in its direction, the body of the Air Elemental suddenly crashing into it, sending both towards a crumbling building which collapsed on them soon after. Ruby turned in the direction that the Elemental had been flung from, quickly spotting Nora standing like a raging Bull, strands of her hair stuck up on end with static electricity shimmering around her.

"Enough!" the head cultist shouted, the two Elementals quickly bursting free of the rubble. "I grow tired of this distraction! You may have achieved a victory, but only a hollow one! The Hour of Twilight is nigh, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

As the cultist finished, the Earth Elemental held up a claw like hand and quickly snapped it shut. Immediately, jagged rocks erupted around the cultist and Elementals before crumbling away, leaving nothing behind. Almost immediately Jaune and Ren appeared around the corner, their weapons and clothing splattered with blood.

"Guys, we heard the commotion. What happened?" Jaune asked, sheathing _Crocea Mors_ quickly as he approached.

"These people...they were Twilight's Hammer." Ruby clarified, gesturing to the bodies of the cultists around them, all of them killed by their Elemental slaves. "The prisoners? Did you..."

Ren solemnly shook his head, holstering his weapons as he spoke. "The cultists got there before us. They're all dead."

Ruby felt her heart falter slightly at the news, lowering her head silently as she shook her own head.

"I'm sorry Ruby, we did everything we could." Jaune comforted, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder and reassuringly squeezing it.

Ruby nodded once, before turning to face the sun, which was now fully up in the sky, though most of its rays were now concealed by storm clouds.

"Come on," Ruby finally said, hefting _Crescent Rose_ up before trudging forward. "Mistrals still a long way away, and we need to keep moving."

 **00000000**

 **Done and done. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me. Next update on March 18th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	3. Hearthstone Inn

**Another day, another chapter. Before diving in, review responses first. OutlastTheDark; note to self; more imagination required. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 3- Hearthstone Inn**

Lightning lit up the sky as thunder boomed overhead, lighting up the near pitch black night. Ruby shivered quietly as the rain from the storm soaked into her clothes and cloak, causing them to become wet through. The rest of her friends weren't doing so well either, their clothing soaked and their teeth chattering as the cold began to set in.

The storm had appeared a few days ago, and hadn't let up since. If anything, it had gotten worse, no doubt courtesy of their Twilight's Hammer friends. The clouds that came with it were unnaturally thick as well, making day dark and dreary and making night pitch black. There was no doubt about it, Mistral storms were the worst.

"How far to the nearest village?" Ruby shouted, her teeth chattering loudly as she wrapped her cloak tighter around her frame in an effort to conserve warmth, but it only served to drench her clothes further.

"Without the map it's hard to say." Jaune replied, rubbing his hand through his hair in an effort to get as much trapped water out of his locks as possible. Jaune had opted to place the map back in his bag in an effort to keep it as dry as possible, meaning they had been travelling mostly blind for the last few days.

"Not sure...how much more...I can take..." Ren shivered, his breath hitching slightly. Ren had unfortunately been the worst off, his choice of attire more accustomed to hotter climates than this weather.

"Guys!" Nora yelled, her hands cupped over her mouth as she shouted back to her friends. "I can see lights up ahead!"

Ruby, Jaune and Ren breathed sighs of relief at the news, all charging forward immediately. Reaching Nora, they soon spotted the lights of lamps and buildings. The streets were empty, no doubt due to the weather, but they were wide and packed with stores, suggesting that under normal circumstances they were packed with civilians. They approached the main street, stopping outside a particularly large building, with a large amount of commotion going on inside. From what they could see through the windows, it was packed with men and women, both Human and Faunus.

"Think this is an inn?" Ruby asked, turning to her friends for confirmation.

Before answering, Jaune looked up, spotting a swinging sign above the doorway. Upon the wooden sign was a grey stone like object with a blue swirl like pattern upon it.

"Only one way to find out..."

The four opened the large door, and were immediately greeted by a warm atmosphere. None turned to greet them, many sitting at large round tables gorging themselves on food and drinking from wooden pitchers. In the far off corner were a huddle of men and women playing what appeared to be some card game. Spotting what appeared to be a serving bar, the four students gently began to push their way through the throng of customers. Eventually they managed to make their way to the main bar, where the innkeeper was waiting on customers.

The man was short, perhaps shorter even than Ruby, but was well built with large and thick muscles. He had hair that was the same colour as Nora's, though it was longer at the back, and he had an even longer braided beard that covered his large chest. He wore a dirty white shirt under a blue waistcoat, with striped red and white trousers and brown boots that folded over at the kneecaps. He also wore brown wristbands and a long brown belt with a beer stein attached to it, and the buckle bore a golden version of the symbol on the inn's sign.

Perched on his shoulder was a white mouse with a red scarf around its neck, looking around as its nose twitched every now and then. The innkeeper was engrossed with some other patrons, so he didn't notice the four students immediately. As the innkeeper was about to turn away and leave the bar, the mouse on his shoulder tugged at his hair and nodded towards the group. The innkeeper turned and his eyes went wide in surprise before he put on a jovial smile on his face.

"Sorry about that, almost forgot ye' if not fer Sarge 'ere." the innkeeper stated with a hearty laugh, pointing at the white mouse on his shoulder as he spoke. "Th' name's Harth Stonebrew, an' welcome to th' Hearthstone Inn. Wha' can I get fer ye'?"

"Uh...hi.." Ruby replied with a shy wave, nervously rubbing the back of her head as she spoke. "Can we get a table for four please?"

"Certainly lass." Harth replied in a cheery manner, conjuring a notepad seemingly out of nowhere as he scribbled some words down. "Can I get ye' anythin' else? Some food an' drink? A room maybe?"

Ruby turned first to her friends, who nodded at all the suggestions, which Ruby was quick to accept afterwards. Placing Sarge on the bar to 'keep an eye out', Harth proceeded to lead the four students to a quieter section of the inn, where the company was more civil and the loud atmosphere quieter. As he sorted a table for the students, he presented each of them with a menu as they sat down.

"Now you lot take a hard long look at those menu's befer' you start orderin' 'ey?" Harth said as he began to back away. "I'll send one of me girls later to take yer' orders. Ye' might want to think about putting yer coats and cloaks by th' fireplace too, stop yer' from catching a cold 'ey?"

The four students nodded as Harth began to make his way back to the bar, the students were quick to analyse their menu's. Minutes later a serving girl arrived to take their orders, scribbling them down before returning with first the drinks and then much later the food. After guzzling down their dishes they began to once again nurse their drinks, making every mouthful count, whether it be water, a soft drink, or in the case of Ren some tea. Eventually, Jaune finally went to his bag and pulled out the map, laying it flat on the table so they could all examine it.

"I think it's about time we discuss the Goliath in the room and start planning on what we do next." Jaune stated, looking at each and everyone of his friends as he spoke.

"Agreed." Ren replied, turning to face the map before continuing. "Our original plan was to get more supplies from Kirthaven, maybe do a few contracts to gather more Lien, but the Twilight's Hammer put a dent in those plans by destroying the town."

"Right, and we got no supplies and have spent most of our money on this place." Jaune added, before a questioning look appeared on his face. "Where are we anyway?"

"If I were to guess, I would say we ended up at Greenstone Village, about here." Ren said, pointing at the location on the map. When Ruby followed the finger, her jaw dropped slightly.

"That's miles off course..." Ruby muttered, sighing loudly as she turned back to the rest of the map. "How long will it take us to get to Mistral now?"

"Well...if we try to get ourselves back on track immediately after setting off, I would say..." Ren paused as he tried to calculate the time it would take. When he did, there was a small frown on his face. "A month at the best, and that's just to make it to the first town."

"We'll have run out of supplies before then." Nora argued, pausing only to take a swig of her drink.

"If we're not attacked by bandits, Grimm or Twilight's Hammer before then." Ren added, folding his arms as he leaned closer.

"Are there any other ways to get to Mistral?" Jaune asked, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke.

"Yeah, but they'll take longer." Ren said as he traced a line on the map with his finger. "We can follow the road from Greenstone. It'll take longer, and we'll be going out of our way, but there are a few settlements between here and Mistral, but most of them are pretty small."

"Meaning that they might not be there tomorrow..." Nora added on, receiving a nod from Ren in return. With that Nora turned to face Ruby, who had remained mostly silent during the discussion. "Your call Ruby."

"We can take the quick way and just scrounge up whatever food we can whenever we can, or we can take the safe way and get there much later." Jaune explained, turning to face Ruby along with Ren.

Ruby held her head in her hands as she contemplated the choice before her. If they take the quick way, then they should be in Mistral before the end of the year, which was good, but in order to get back on track they would have to skip all the towns they could get supplies from, never mind the threats they would be facing would be considerably worse. The second option, whilst less risky in terms of the route, was more risky in the fact that they might arrive in Mistral to do too little too late.

Uncle Qrow had made it out that getting to Mistral quickly was important, sot he more time they wasted the more dire the situation became. How she wished that Qrow was here with them instead. He would have known what to do here, what choice to make. But instead she had to make do it herself, rather than mope around all day wishing someone else was here to take the mantle of leadership.

"Let's follow the road from Greenstone." Ruby finally said after what seemed like hours of silence. "I know it will take longer, but it's safer right? That's more important to me than getting to Mistral at this rate."

Jaune, Nora and Ren nodded their heads in understanding, before returning to their drinks. As they continued to drink, there was a sudden cheer on the other side of the inn, causing them to turn their heads. It appeared that one of the players of the card game had won, made more apparent by the fact one of the was repeatedly banging his head on the table and muttering curses to himself. The cheer seemed to be infectious, spreading to everyone on that side of the inn as Harth began to sing a song, soon everyone else joining in.

It was hard to make out the lyrics of the song, mainly because everyone was slurring their words or were singing over the ones still sober enough to sing. Something about the man on the moon getting drunk, a tipsy cat with a fiddle and everyone going to bed by the time the sun rose. The song was repeated many times, each rendition becoming harder to understand as the patrons became more drunk.

"Think I've had enough for the night." Jaune finally said after the fourth drunken rendition of the song, stifling a yawn as he stretched his arms.

"I think I'll join you." Ren added with a nod before turning to Nora, who nodded sleepily in return. "What about you Ruby? You coming up?"

"I'll join you guys in a bit." Ruby replied, her cup still half full. "Go on without me, I'll be okay."

The three students nodded their heads in return as they slowly began to make their way upstairs to their lodging. Thunder boomed outside, drowning out the singing and causing all the patrons to go silent as the storm suddenly worsened.

"All right lads, last call!" Harth shouted as he rung a bell, causing everyone to groan and complain. "Get yer' arse out of 'ere befer' I kick yer' out me self!"

There were a few more complaints but all complied. Soon the only people left in the inn were those that either worked there or had rented a room for the night, leaving only Ruby and a few other patrons who were quick to make their way to their rooms. Harth and the waitress who had served Ruby and her friends went to the window, their faces illuminated by a sudden flash of lightning.

"The storms not letting up." the waitress observed, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Aye, looks like Al'Akir be havin' a mighty tantrum in his prison." Harth added, the mouse on his shoulder hiding in the folds of his hair. "You get yerself home now, 'ey lass? I'll take charge of things 'ere."

"You sure Harth?" the waitress asked, to which she received a nod from the innkeeper. "All right, thank you."

She disappeared soon after, emerging now with no apron on her waist and a weather beaten cloak draped over her dress, disappearing into the storm soon after.

"Sorry if yer' waiting on any orders lass." Harth finally said, turning to Ruby as he opened a small closet, pulling out a large cloak which he flung on haphazardly. "I'm th' only one holdin' the fort at th' moment, an' I have to make sure that the storm defences are in place...not that'll do much to protect this place."

"It's okay, I was going up anyway." Ruby replied, the innkeeper nodding appreciatively before leaving the tavern, leaving Ruby all alone.

She stayed sat there for a while, sitting in silent thought as she looked once more at the map. Had she made the right decision? Were the well being of her friends as important as finding out why Beacon and Vale was destroyed? And the villages they might come across, this far out from Vale would they be hospitable to strangers, or still intact? What if the Twilight's Hammer or bandits attacked the villages like last time? What if they were assaulted on the road? With a sudden shake of her head she banished the thoughts, rolling up the map and placing it in her bag. She then began go go upstairs, watching through the window as the storm seemed to worsen. Outside she could make out the faint form of Harth struggling with the storm defences, watching as the short man tried his best to stop pieces of the inn from flying away.

She then entered the lodgings they had booked, Ren, Nora and Jaune already flat out on their respective beds, leaving only her bed untouched. Dropping her bag at the end of the bed and placing _Crescent Rose_ next to her bedside table, she slumped into the bed, pulling the covers over her form and closing her eyes. As she slept, positive thoughts sprang into her mind, easing her wariness. For some reason she couldn't explain, she felt that the worst was finally behind them.

 **00000000**

 **Village of Drak'gor…**

Screaming. That was all he could remember as he regained consciousness. One second he had been working at his shop, repairing the old arms and armour when the bells began to ring. It was then that the screams began...and the roaring. Not long after the Huntsman and Huntresses had killed the Geist that had plagued their village, another came to speak with the elder, enquiring not about the Geist, but those that had killed it, particularly their leader. The elder had denied her, telling her to leave. She did, but not before promising to return. She did return, but not alone this time. She came riding a creature with scales as black as night, crackling with purple energy. He had been knocked unconscious during the attack, and now he was beginning to wake up. He tried to move, only to find a dagger impaled into his shoulder, pinning him to the wall.

He turned to see the woman sat on a wall, using a whetstone to sharpen one of her crude looking daggers, its surface blackened surface blazing bright due to the purple runes upon the blade. Upon looking at her, he was hit by a sudden and unexpected wave of fear. She wore a dark purple longcoat that looked to be made from the hide of some poor creature, the underside rimmed with fur. Around her waist was a lilac sash, which seemed to be stuffed with small needle like throwing knives.

She also wore dark grey trousers with black knee high boots, and armour covered her shins and forearms, with chain-mail shoulder guards. Her coat covered most of her chest, and he was only able to glimpse some plate covering a black top. Her chest also seemed rather bulky, leaving him to decide whether she was either well endowed, or if she had numerous other devices in her coat. After a while, he decided probably both.

The only portion not entirely covered was her head, and even then the lower portion of her face was covered by a metal mask with four small holes for breathing implemented. Her skin was fair and well taken care of, and her emerald eyes were mesmerising to look at. Her long golden blonde hair was tied back into a haphazard ponytail, and seemed to dance in the soft breeze. Eventually, the woman turned to face him, her eyes boring into him.

"Good, you're awake now." the woman chuckled mirthfully, hopping off the wall as she carelessly tossed the whetstone to the side, sheathing her dagger next to its twin. "I've been terribly bored waiting for you, these villagers screams of mercy can only offer so much entertainment."

The blacksmith looked around, and noticed for the first time the number of bodies lying around, all of them mutilated in horrific ways. He heard the sound of some beast guzzling on flesh, and turned to see the strange dragon like Grimm she had ridden in on tearing apart the bloodied corpse of what he could only assume was a child. He felt like screaming, but his breath hitched in his throat every time.

"Pay no attention to him." the woman tutted with false sympathy. "I'm the one you should be worried about."

With that said, the woman then proceeded to pull out one of her smaller knives, pressing it against his bare flesh.

"Your elder brought this all upon you. If he had given me the information I wanted when I first came I would have been on my way already." the woman explained, twirling the dagger in her hand effortlessly. "But he stubbornly refused, even after I killed his wife and daughter in front of him. So I snapped his stubborn little neck and proceeded to ask everyone else for the information I was looking for. They were all useless, except for one person."

She then chuckled as she knelt in front of the blacksmith, squeezing his cheeks together before continuing.

"Someone said that they saw you talking to the person I'm looking for, and that you were the last person they spoke with before they left. So I'm going to ask you; where is the girl in red headed?"

"I...I won't tell you anything." the blacksmith said defiantly, spitting at the woman's foot.

With a sigh, the woman shook her head in disappointment. Then with sudden speed, she thrust the knife into his stomach, causing him to let out a ragged scream. She then ripped the blade out, causing the wound to enlarge and sending fresh pain through his body. Then using her claw like gauntlets, she forced her thumb into the wound, now glaring at the blacksmith.

"Where is she going?!" she yelled, her voice filled with anger.

"Please! Stop! I'll...I'll tell you!" the blacksmith begged, the woman removing her thumb from the wound, the appendage dripping with blood and bits of organs. "She...she said she was headed...for Kirthaven..."

"Kirthaven?" the woman said, clearly confused. "That village is nothing but ash and rubble now, why would she head there?"

"She said...she said they were going to Mistral..." the blacksmith explained, to tired to ask what had happened to Kirthaven. "That's all I know...please..."

The woman's expression softened as she leaned in closer to the blacksmith, one hand cupping his chin whilst the other cradled the back of his head.

"I believe you."

With a sudden jerk she twisted his head to the side, his eyes wide in surprise as she released her grip on him, his lifeless body lulling forward slightly. She then rose, letting out a relieved sigh as she turned to the Twilight Grimm and whistled loudly. Turning from its meal, it lumbered towards her, stopping to allow the woman a chance to mount him. When she was sat securely upon his back, she gave his ribs a light jab, the Twilight Grimm rearing slightly as it let out a frightening roar before jumping up and taking flight.

As she flew, the woman took out her Scroll, a map of Animus popping up on her screen. They had destroyed Kirthaven already, making her targets next destination much harder to predict. No matter, she would get her kill, she always did. She was Asira Dawnslayer, the Twilight Father's top assassin. And in her eyes, Ruby Rose's days were numbered.

 **00000000**

 **That was longer then expected. Did everyone get the references I hid in there? One of them should have been blatantly obvious, the other not so much. Comment if you did find them.**

 **And yes, Asira Dawnslayer is an actual character in WoW and yes, I did change her outfit so it was more Remnant like. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Feel free to leave in your review or PM me personally. Next chapter will be April 1st.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	4. The Hunt Continues

**Another day, another chapter. So 7.2 just hit and I am definitely excited to be kicking Kil'jaedan in the crotch like we did with Archimonde… That was just me then who did a /crotch kick at Archimonde then in Hellfire Citadel? Oh… Review response time! OutlastTheDark; yes, yes I did do a Hearthstone reference, but that wasn't the only reference in there. The other would have been more obvious if I'd made it more noticeable but I couldn't because of a certain overly zealous group on this site. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 4- The Hunt Continues**

The storm howled and crackled as the lightning flashed across the sky, a small glimpse of light on an otherwise dreary night. Deep within the forest was a lone man, hooded and cloaked, sat before a smouldering camp-fire. A large sword rested beside him, the blade of which was coated in a layer of dried blood. Lightning flashed once more, lighting up the figures features, revealing him as none other than Qrow Branwen, Master Huntsman and uncle of Ruby Rose.

Qrow looked up at the sky as the storm seemed to worsen, and on more then one occasion he swore he could see a pair of eyes glaring down at him. The storm seemed to worsen at an instant, rain quickly smothering the small fire at his feet, causing the Huntsman to let out a soft groan of annoyance as he lowered his head, before reaching for his sword and lifting himself off of the floor.

"So much for that then..." Qrow muttered, using his foot to smother the remaining embers of the dead fire, before hefting his sword on his shoulder and seeking out a drier spot for a fire.

He wandered for some time, before he came across a small nook within the rocks, large enough for him to fit in. As he had before the storm began, he set up a small and basic camp-fire, the task of lighting it made far more difficult due to the damp wood. Eventually, after much cursing, Qrow managed to get the fire lit, letting out a relieved sigh as he sat by the fire, drying his damp clothing as best as he could. Then he sat and waited.

"Something isn't right..." Qrow murmured to himself, his eyes flicking left and right as he spoke. "He should be here by now."

The one he was meeting tended to be punctual, and was never late to any of their meetings, even after the whole incident at Beacon. Admittedly he had left the arranged meeting spot before he had arrived, but it wasn't like it was the first time something like that had happened. As he continued his train of thought, he heard the sound of trees rustling in the distance, and it was getting louder with each passing second. Before he could even think about reaching for his sword, a gargantuan beast covered in earthy black scales erupted from the trees in front of him, the horned creature growling loudly as it shook the stray twigs caught in its scales. The two stared at one another for a long time, the burning eyes of the Black Dragon boring into the eyes of Qrow. Then the ends of the Dragons mouth curled upwards, mimicking that of a humoured smile.

"Room for a Dragon in their?" it asked, its voice booming despite the low tone it used.

"Sorry, rented out all the free rooms." Qrow quipped back, smiling himself as he spoke. The Dragon let out a hearty laugh, the earth humming at the sound. Qrow soon joined in the laughter, but fell short as he noticed multiple claw marks marring his form. "What are those?"

The Dragon paused in its laughter, looking down at its chest, where the majority of the wounds were. It raised a clawed hand up to its chest, as if to protect the wound from further harm.

"Nothing to worry about, no more than a simple scratch." the Dragon responded, growling loudly as it laid itself on the sodden grass, shaking its large head as if it were a dog. The Dragon's eyes moved down to the sword at Qrow's side, its eyes darting back and forth between the two. "What is that?"

Qrow looked down at the blade, running a finger along the surface of the bloodied blade, leaving a smudge on its surface where his finger had been.

"Oh, that? Just ran into some trouble, that's all." Qrow answered, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke.

"Twilight's Hammer?" the Dragon asked, arcing a brow as it spoke.

"Yeah, bastards had the audacity to actually try and ambush me on my way here." Qrow replied, examining the tip of his finger as he rubbed the dry blood out of the grooves of his fingers. "Sadly, it didn't end well for them. What about you?"

"Courtesy of some...distant relations." the Dragon said, growling the last words more than saying them. "At first they thought I was their ally, until I tore their leaders throat out."

"Thought your teeth were redder than usual." Qrow chuckled, causing the Dragon to flare his nostrils in disdain. There was more silence as the rain continued to patter overhead, though now at a considerably slower rate. "Ebonhorn...those Twilight guys, think they were after...you know?..."

"That depends," the Dragon, Ebonhorn, responded, pausing only to narrow his eyes as he looked down at Qrow. "Apart from me, who else knows you hold the Relic of Creation?"

As Ebonhorn spoke, Qrow found himself subconsciously tightening his grip on the Relic in question. When Beacon had fallen, and after he had ensured Ruby's safety, he had gone down below the school, where Ozpin had last been seen headed. Admittedly the task had been made infinitely more challenging due to the sudden appearance of Deathwing, Destroyer of Worlds, on the top of Beacon, who quickly went to work on mauling everyone and everything in sight before leaving. All he had found after he had gotten past the Mad Aspect was Ozpin's cane, and no sign of the man in question.

"No one, not even anyone else in Ozpin's inner circle." Qrow eventually answered. "Glynda has too much to handle right now with the whole re-building Vale project, and I don't trust Ironwood with anything this sensitive, not to mention he has his own Relic to look after."

"Then the answer is no, they didn't know you had the Relic." Ebonhorn stated, more calmly then he had been. "If they knew you had the Relic, they would have sent more after you, or worse."

"What about your mission? Any look finding Ozpin?"

"Sadly no." Ebonhorn responded, his eyes solemn. "I have had no word on his host. It is likely they are either not coming to terms with what has happened or Ozpin hasn't revealed himself yet."

"How will you know if he's taken residence in someone?" Qrow asked, feigning interest in the subject.

"I will not know for sure until after they have merged with one another, but there are tell tale signs." Ebonhorn replied. "I would be looking for someone who seems skittish, nervous and perhaps experiencing a slight case of schizophrenia."

"Right...of course." Qrow murmured to himself, now wishing he hadn't asked in the first place.

"How is Miss Rose doing?" Ebonhorn asked once again, the sky now beginning to clear as the rain fell lighter with each word.

"She's doing fine, at the moment." Qrow answered. "Ran into a bit of trouble with some Twilight guys in Kirthaven...or what's left of the place."

"Did they try to kill her?" Ebonhorn asked, though he clearly knew the answer before he even spoke.

"Yeah, but not because of who she was, just because she was there in the first place." Qrow answered, the Dragon nodding his large head slowly. It was then that Qrow recognised the scrutinising gaze the Dragon was giving him, the same gaze he often gave many members of Ozpin's inner circle when he belittled them. "I know what you're going to say."

"Oh really?" Ebonhorn grunted, snorting loudly and filling the air with the stagnant stench of brimstone. "And what would that be?"

"You'll be just like Glynda and tell me that I should have told her nothing and let her stay in Patch, completely oblivious to the world around her." Qrow snorted, gagging slightly at the lingering stench of the Dragon's breath. "As if she would be any safer in Patch."

"You're right about Patch. As soon as the Twilight's Hammer know who they're looking for, Patch will be the first place they'll look for her." Ebonhorn actually commended, causing Qrow to grunt in appreciation. "What I don't agree with is getting it into her mind that Mistral is the best place to go to look for answers!"

"I had nothing to do with that whole incident." Qrow replied with a nonchalant shrug. "I just...gave her a little nudge out the door, that's all."

"Clearly." Ebonhorn snorted, poking his head out of the small nook as he observed the sky above, his hide wet from the rainfall. "The storm appears to have passed for now, it seems the Lord of Air's wrath has been stayed for the time being."

"Any reason 'why' he's been acting up lately?" Qrow asked, peering out himself just to ensure Ebonhorn was right. "Do you think that maybe...Ironwood has failed with the Relic?"

"No, not yet at least." Ebonhorn murmured in response. "If the Twilight's Hammer had used the Relic, then there would be more than a few fierce storms. It would be far worse. But I do feel he knows that he needn't wait long for his return."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it right now." Qrow grunted as he stood up, his sword in hand. "So, now what? We continue what we've been doing or we go together?"

"It would be best for us to stay split, though I think I myself will soon be tailing you." Ebonhorn responded, roaring lightly as he stretched his limbs and shook his reptilian head. "I feel if Ozpin's spirit was here, I would have felt it by now."

"So you'll be moving on then." Qrow stated, Ebonhorn nodding his head in confirmation. "Figures. Where shall we next meet?"

"We'll meet at the ruins of Zul'Gurub I think." Ebonhorn stated, flexing his wings as he began to take to the skies. "We shall meet in a few days time, farewell Branwen."

With that, Ebonhorn let out a loud roar as he flew higher into the skies, his wings beating at a rhythmic pace, Qrow watching from the ground as the Black Dragon became smaller and smaller with each passing second.

"Till next time Ebonhorn, till next time." Qrow murmured quietly as he slowly backed away, entering the thick forest before him.

 **00000000**

The Hearthstone Tavern was packed as per usual, the sounds of occupants enjoying themselves being heard even on the borders of the town. The Innkeeper, Harth Stonebrew, was busy taking orders and keeping an eye on the occupants, whilst the many waiters and waitresses brought drinks and menus to those that were seated.

One of the waitresses, the same one that had served Team RNJR just days before, swerved her way quickly through the packed crowds towards the customer who's drink she carried. Eventually, she made her way towards the customer, who sat by her own on a single table in the far corner of the inn.

"Here's your drink." the waitress said, placing the drink on the table. Without so much as a word, the customer deposited a small handful of Lien for the drink. As the waitress collected the Lien, she noticed the armour they wore and the weapons they carried. "So...are you a Huntress?"

"Hmm?" the woman hummed, tilting their head to the side ever so slightly.

"The armour and weapons, you look like a Huntress." the waitress repeated. "Are you one?"

"Oh please, there are no others like me." the woman chuckled mirthfully, leaning back as she lost interest in the conversation.

"Well, I wouldn't know, but there were some people here a few days ago that seemed like your type." the waitress chuckled harmlessly, fiddling with her apron. "Four of them, students I think."

This seemed to pique the woman's interests, as she immediately leaned forward, her emerald eyes lighting up slightly.

"Students you say?" she asked, to which the waitress nodded once. "Did one of them wear a red hood by chance?"

"Yes...how did you-..." the waitress paused as she suddenly came to her own conclusion. "Do you know them or something?"

"Yes, of course I do. I'm a friend of her mother, and she's terribly worried about her safety." the woman said, a gauntleted hand held close to her chest. "I lost track of them a few days ago, but if you know where they have headed I would be eternally grateful."

"Well, I don't know where about they were headed, but I think they said something about continuing along the road from here." the waitress replied, watching carefully as the woman let out a relieved sigh.

"I see." the woman murmured to herself, nodding her head once in acknowledgement. "Thank you for giving me this information. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Happy to help Miss..." the waitress paused as she narrowed her eyes, a confused look on her face. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch your name. What is it?"

The figure then leaned closer, revealing her blonde hair and masked face to the waitress as she chuckled lightly to herself.

"Please, call me Asira."

 **00000000**

Deep within the land of Animus, near the borders of the more ancient parts of the land, was a single solitary farm. Farm animals grazed contently in the fields as a young boy, one of the two sole occupants of the farm, carried a bucket filled with grains and wheat to the stables, which were filled with horses ranging from black to white. As he poured the feed in the other troughs, he turned his attention to an old mare at the far corner of the stables, her greying white fur contrasting with her strong muscular build. As he poured the remainder of the food into the mare's trough, it neighed loudly, puffs of air from its nostrils ruffling the young boys hair, causing him to laugh as he stroked its muzzle.

"Don't worry Old Blanchy." the boy whispered, continuing to stroke the old mare's head. "Someday, we'll be going on adventures of our own."

In response, the mare shook its head, snorting loudly before leaning down to guzzle on the food in its trough. With a smile still plastered on his face, he proceeded to grab a pitchfork, piercing bundles of hay and scattering them around into the stables, providing fresh bedding for the horses. Yet as he did so, he heard something strange, like a whisper on the wind. He shook his head, believing it to be nothing but his imagination. That was until he heard it again, and again and again. He strained his ears when he heard it once more, and he was certain that he was hearing his own name being whispered.

"Hello?" he shouted, hoping to coax the owner of the voice to reveal himself. Movement on his right caused him to spin rapidly, pitchfork raised for a thrust, only to sigh in relief when he recognised it was merely his own reflection. "Must just be hearing things..." he muttered to himself, turning around to continue with his work.

" _Oscar..."_

His ears perked up again at the sound of his name. That sounded to close to be imaginary. He hefted the pitchfork up again, read to use it in case the owner of the voice tried anything against him.

" _Hello! I am Professor Ozpin, and I-"_

Oscar let out a loud girlish shriek at the booming voice, dropping his pitchfork and falling hard on his back, the horses in the stables suddenly neighing loudly in panic. He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, only to find no one around him. That sounded too close, almost right behind him in fact.

"Oscar?! What's going on in there?!" another voice, a female voice, suddenly shouted from within the house.

"N-nothing Aunt!" Oscar shouted back, laying back on the pile of hay.

"You should probably get back inside! It'll be dark soon!" the voice of his Aunt shouted back, before falling silent once again.

"Okay!" Oscar shouted back, turning to face the sky. Dusk was indeed approaching, the sky turning orange and purple as the moon began to slowly rise. With a sigh, he left the stables, locking them behind him as he headed back to the house.

He just wished that the voice he heard didn't speak up again.

 **00000000**

 **Sorry the chapter is a bit shorter then usual, but the next chapter should be longer. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Feel free to leave in a review or PM personally. Next update will be April 15th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	5. Ancient Ruins

**Another day, another chapter. First, review response time. Cody the Worldwalker; I wouldn't worry about Defias Brotherhood in this story. Expect...something much worse. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 5- Ancient Ruins**

Ruby looked around warily as she and her friends continued through the darkness of the forest. They had left Greenstone Village some days ago, having decided to continue on the road. They had passed some villages, but only small farms or communities with a lot of problems but too few supplies to spare. The road itself was proving to be somewhat unreliable as well. They had come across more than one 'authorised checkpoint' being manned by some shady men and women, and had dismantled just as many.

Now though, the road had led them deep into the forest, and that's what put everyone on edge. The forest in question was old, perhaps older than any of the villages and perhaps even the Kingdoms themselves. Trees of all types, some they had never even seen, loomed overhead, their branches groping out in all directions, as if trying to grab them. Perhaps the most unsettling part for Ruby though were the fact that some of the trees had faces carved into them. She could imagine in more superstitious times, the faces were meant to scare people away and give off the impression that the trees were watching them. Whilst she certainly knew better now, it still unsettled her.

"Ren? How long do we have to stay in this forest?" Ruby asked, hoping to hear some news on how much longer they would be stuck here.

"Honestly Ruby, I don't know." Ren replied, dashing any hopes that Ruby had. "Me and Nora have never been to this part of Animus before. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, I guess then we just follow the road then?" Ruby asked, turning around to face Ren as she walked. "I mean, it's gotta take us out of here sooner or later, right-"

Ruby was cut off as she felt herself collide with her back, causing her and the object she bumped into to grunt in surprise. She turned rapidly to see she had walked into Jaune, who had a startled look on his face before he snapped his head back to the map in his hands, constantly looking at the map and the way ahead.

"What's wrong Jaune?" Ren asked, the sound of his voice causing Jaune to turn around fully, his face wrought with confusion.

"The road." Jaune began, stopping only to gesture in the direction they had been heading. "It's gone."

"What?" Ruby murmured, turning her gaze away from Jaune to the way ahead.

Indeed, as Jaune had said, the road had completely disappeared. The way ahead was now completely barred off by thick trees, their long groping branches sprouting in all directions.

"You probably took a wrong turn Jaune." Nora stated, rolling her eyes as she snatched the map from Jaune's hands, quickly examining it for where Jaune could have made a wrong turn. Yet try as she might, she found none. The road on the map was a continuous straight line with no off-shoots to other parts of the forest. In fact, they didn't seem to recall a moment where Jaune had stopped and asked which direction they should go.

"Maybe if we retrace our steps we can find out where we went wrong?" Ruby suggested, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke.

"It's worth a try I guess." Jaune replied, quickly taking the map from Nora before freezing in his tracks. "Guys, where'd the road go?"

All let out grunts of confusion as they turned to face Jaune, before their jaws all seemed to drop from their hinges. The pathway, that same one they had been following for nearly three days straight, had vanished. In their place were more trees, the carved faces seemingly boring holes into them.

"Jaune, step away from the trees." Ren warned, an order Jaune was more than happy to comply with.

Almost immediately they all drew their weapons, the forest suddenly groaning and creaking violently, almost as if they were protesting the decision to draw weapons. It was then that the eyes began to appear in the shadows, eyes that were golden like the sun or silver like the moon. The trees then seemingly began to lurch forward, and it was then that Ruby noticed that the branches were swaying gently, despite the fact the air was still.

"Guys? Any ideas?" Ruby asked, she and the rest of Team RNJR stepping back slowly as the forest seemed to close in on them.

"Hold ranks and keep away from the trees." Jaune ordered, his hand closed tightly around the map in his left hand which he held close to his chest. "We just need to find another way out of here, and then-"

Jaune was suddenly silenced as he felt his heels slip on a curved edge. He lost his balance quickly, waving his arms around rapidly in an attempt to steady himself. He was quick to let out a scream as he failed to regain his balance and footing, falling down a steep cliff and into the undergrowth below.

"Jaune!" Ruby shouted, turning around rapidly as she heard Jaune fall, all three of them leering over the cliff in an attempt to spot the blonde knight.

"I'm okay!" a faint voice called out from far below, causing all three to let out sighs of relief.

"Uh guys? The trees?" Nora suddenly said, causing both Ren and ruby to return their attention to the current situation. The trees had come closer, and the eyes had grown more plentiful. Vines were now lashing out from the branches, snapping and twisting into what could only be described as gnarled fingers.

"Guess we only have one choice then." Nora stated, a mischievous smile playing on her face as she turned to Ren. "Ren? Would you prefer the assist or the free fall?"

"What?" Ren quizzed, his brow knotted in confusion. "What are you talking-"

Ren was suddenly cut off as Nora swung _Magnhild_ out at Ren, sending him flying over the edge with a surprised yell before crashing in the undergrowth below. Without another word, Nora turned to Ruby, holding the hammer up with an innocent smile on her face.

"I...I think I'll make my own way down..." Ruby replied, backing away from both Nora and the encroaching forest.

"Smart choice." Nora complimented, before letting herself fall backwards with a whooping cheer.

Ruby turned back towards the forest, its sole attention now fixated on her. With a deep breath, Ruby turned and leapt over the edge, feeling the movement of air behind her as she felt a vine lash out at the place she had just been. As the ground came closer, she braced herself for a hard landing, colliding harshly with the thick branches below. She let out grunts and curses of pain as she felt herself tumble between the branches, her cloak snagging on small twigs before snapping off with a faint crack. She then saw grass and soil beneath her and landed with a loud thud, lifting her head up which was smudged with dirt. She spat out a piece of grass that had found itself inside her mouth, looking around to see the rest of her friends nursing their own injuries, all except Nora who was skipping merrily over to Ren.

"Don't do that again Nora." Ren panted, wincing as he rubbed his shoulder. "Or at the very least actually explain what you're going to do."

"Where's the fun in that?" Nora snorted, causing Ren to sigh in exasperation.

"Oh no! The map!"

All turned to Jaune, who had a panicked look on his face as he stared at a dark pool of water, the map floating gently over it, though it was getting damper by the second.

"Jaune! You had one job!" Nora shouted, holding up one finger to further emphasise the point. "One job!"

"It must have slipped from my hand when I fell!" Jaune replied, quickly unbuckling _Crocea Mors_ from his belt as he rushed into the water. "I'll go get it!"

Ruby, Ren and Nora stood at the waters edge, watching as Jaune began to wade his way towards the map, the water slowing his movements considerably. It was then that Ruby noticed movement in the water, a faint ripple as something broke the surface for a millisecond. It was then that she saw the back of something scaly and rough break the surface once more. And it was headed for Jaune.

"Jaune!" Ruby shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to further amplify her voice. "Get out of the water!"

"I'm almost there!" Jaune stubbornly replied, his hand reaching out to grab the map.

It was then that it struck, a large crocodile like creature leapt out of the water, its open mouth filled to the brim with razor sharp teeth ready to clamp down on Jaune's outstretched arm. With a yell of panic, Jaune retracted his arm, the reptiles jaws mere inches from his flesh. The beast landed in the water with a splash, thrashing around wildly and causing Jaune to fall back, his head dipping beneath the water momentarily before re-emerging, a frightened look on his face.

"Crocolisk!" Ren shouted, leaning close to the waters edge with an outstretched hand. "Quick Jaune, grab my hand before it recovers!"

Jaune was quick to act, abandoning the map as he half waded and half swam back to shore, both Ren and Ruby holding their hands out to grab Jaune and pull him to safety.

"It's coming back!" Nora warned, pointing out to the water. True enough, the Crocolisk had indeed recovered and was now swimming towards Jaune with renewed energy, its scaly back the only sign of how close the beast was to Jaune.

"I'm not gonna make it!" Jaune shouted, looking back as the Crocolisk came closer and closer.

"Nora! Try and shoot it!" Ren ordered, not even glancing back at his partner lest something happened to Jaune.

"I can't! I might hit Jaune!" Nora retaliated, her hands pressed on her temple in worry.

"To the rocks Jaune! They're closer and it might not follow!" Ruby shouted, dashing over to a group of rocks on the waters edge.

Ren and Nora were quick to follow, Jaune changing his course to the rocks. The Crocolisk was also quick to follow, its streamlined form barely visible as it closed in on the knight. Then it fully submerged, disappearing entirely from sight.

"You can make it Jaune! Come on!" Ruby shouted, her hand reaching out.

As soon as he was in reach, Jaune grabbed hold of Ruby's arm, pulling himself up as best as he could, his feet slipping on the wet surface of the rock. Ren and Nora were quick to help, Nora grabbing his other arm whilst Ren grabbed the back of his belt, heaving him out of the water. As Jaune cleared the water, the Crocolisk leapt out, hissing loudly as its jaws snapped shut where Jaune's leg had been seconds earlier. All fell back with a cry of panic, the Crocolisk hissing venomously as it slowly eased itself back into the water, no doubt in search of easier prey. Team RNJR sat in a heap, panting loudly as Jaune hefted himself up, his clothing damp and dripping.

"That...was close." Nora panted, breathing a sigh of relief as she began to sit up.

"The map though..." Jaune said, his eyes locked on the parchment in the water.

The map had been sent further into the water by the Crocolisk's initial thrashing, and some of the water had flowed over it, causing it to sink deep into the water. It did not take long for the map to fully submerge, disintegrating slowly as it sunk.

"Great...Now what do we do?" Nora muttered, her head sunk as she gave a sullen glare at the water. "All that Crocolisk's fault."

"Well, if Yang were here, she'd say we should ask it for directions because it might be an expert navi-gator..." Ruby chuckled, recalling the terrible puns her sister often said to lighten the mood.

"Guys, what's that?"

Ruby, Jaune and Nora turned to face Ren, who had gotten up and was staring at something beyond the foliage. After Jaune retrieved his sword, they went over to Ren who was crouched on the ground, brushing away some dried up vines that was wrapped around a sandy coloured pillar. The stone itself looked old and sun kissed, with what appeared to be engravings written in a language none could understand.

"What the..." Jaune muttered, brushing away more vines to reveal an archway, made from the same material. "Looks like a doorway."

"Should we go in?" Ruby questioned, her hand moving slowly to grab her weapon.

"It's better then being near mister grumpy in the water." Nora replied, quickly answering Ruby's question by stepping through the archway without a moments hesitation. "Gah! There are cobwebs everywhere!"

The remaining members merely looked at one another, before shrugging their shoulders and following Nora, who was stood still as she pulled the sticky webbing off of her clothing. They could see that they had no roof over their heads, and the walls looked to have been mostly untouched. They continued through the passages, noticing the large quantity of rotten weapon racks, layered with old and rusty weapons.

"Looks like it was a garrison of some sort..." Jaune mumbled, his hand hovering over one of the rusty axe heads.

"Yeah, but for what?" Ren added, trying his best to read the inscriptions on the wall. "Neither this architecture or language is reminiscent of anything I've seen."

Ruby looked around warily, looking in particular at the large face like monoliths that sprouted out from the corners, shaped into skulls with two Goliath like tusks sprouting from their mouths. As she turned the corner, she froze at the site, nearly dropping _Crescent Rose_ in the process.

"Guys...I think it might have belonged to these people..." Ruby began as the rest of RNJR converged on her location. "...Or at least it used to."

Before her were numerous skeletons, all different shapes and sizes and all covered in a fine layer of webbing. Some were easily identifiable as Human and were more scarce, but their armour was ancient and their weapons more primitive. The other more numerous skeletons were larger and scrawnier, with thick bones and tribal armour, tusks sprouting from their mouths. They followed the corridor, making sure not to disturb the bones and came across another room. The room was filled with more skeletons, both Human and the strange humanoids, with large snake like structures flanking the walls, unlit braziers hanging from their mouth. At the far end was a shattered throne like chair, with a large skeleton sprawled out in front of it, a large rusty sword still in its grip, and the scattered bones of Humans around it.

"This armour," Ren began, kneeling down next to one of the skeletons and observing the craftsmanship. "Its pre-Kingdoms make."

"Then that makes these guys Mantle Soldiers then?" Jaune asked, receiving a nod from Ren in return. "Then...who are these guys?"

"I'm not sure, but if what we know about Mantle's history is correct, I would say that these people might have been another civilisation." Ren replied, a frown marring his face.

"You mean like, Proto-Faunus?" Nora asked, turning to face Ren as she spoke.

"Possibly." Ren concurred, before stepping back from the corpse. "Come on, let's keep moving. I'd rather not disturb the dead."

Nothing more was said as they all began to leave the room, Ruby sparing one final glance at the room before following. The rest of the building played out much the same, with skeletons of Human and Proto-Faunus (as they had elected to call them) littering the hallways before they finally made it to an exit. They were quick to relish the sunlight and fresh air, looking out at the vast forest and mountainous terrain before them.

"Now where do we go?" Ruby asked, turning to the rest of her friends for guidance.

"I'm not sure." Jaune replied. "Even with the map I couldn't say for certain."

"There's buildings up ahead." Nora shouted, pointing towards the forest. True enough, the top of a building was visible above the throng of trees. And if the lack of trees in that area was something to go by, perhaps a settlement of some sort.

"I'm not sure, looks old." Ren argued, before pointing to the ruins behind them. "like, this type of old."

"What choice do we have?" Ruby countered back. "We're lost and low on supplies, the least we can do is check it out."

"I'm with Ruby on this one." Jaune added, turning to face Ren. "Besides, even if its abandoned, at least we'll have shelter for the night."

Ren looked back and forth between Ruby and Jaune, before turning to face Nora. The Huntress merely shrugged her shoulders, a neutral look on her face. With a sigh of defeat, Ren shook his head slowly, before gesturing slightly with his arm.

"Lead on Ruby."

Ruby hummed in victory as she turned around and led the way down towards the building, passing more and more signs of battle, including old Mantle Tanks and some strange weapon that looked like a wooden ballista. As they travelled, the cawing of crows caused them to look up, the sky turning a faint shade of purple as the sun began to set.

"Guess we'll be staying there tonight." Ren commented dryly, a frown on his face as they came closer to their destination.

"Oh relax Ren." Nora replied, slapping Ren on the back hard. "It could be a lot worse."

"How can it be worse?"

"We could be being chased by a large dragon like Grimm that breathes purple fire and is dead set on trying to kill us." Jaune rapidly said before Nora could respond.

"See! A lot worse!" Nora added, ignoring the panicked look on Jaune's face.

"That's...oddly specific Jaune." Ruby commented, turning to face Jaune. "Why did you say that?"

"Because a large dragon Grimm that breathes purple fire IS trying to kill us!" Jaune replied, pointing to the sky in front of them.

All turned to follow Jaune's finger and froze immediately. Before them was a large dragon like Grimm, its black hide a strange shade of purple, flying rapidly towards them, its mouth billowing with purple fire.

"Take cover!" Ren shouted, quickly diving to the side along with the rest of Team RNJR.

Almost immediately after they heard what sounded like a mix between a roar and a flame-thrower overhead, a line of purple fire spraying along the path they had been on. Team RNJR were quick to recover, watching as the dragon Grimm continued to fly forward, before turning around, its mouth now filled with what looked like concentrated shadow.

"Quick! To the ruins!" Ren shouted, pointing to ahead as he began to get up.

The four students quickly sprang to their feet, the sounds of wings beating echoing close behind them. Blasts of shadowy energy ricocheted off the floor as the dragon Grimm began to fire blasts at them, before flying low over them, hoping to knock them to the ground with its club like tail.

"What is this thing?!" Jaune shouted as he ducked his head, narrowly dodging the club like tip of the tail.

"A large dragon Grimm that breathes purple fire and is trying to kill us, duh!" Nora snapped back. "You just said so yourself!"

"Look! Up ahead!" Ren shouted, pointing in front of him.

Before them nestled between the mountains was a the entrance of what looked to be a large city. Two large Cobra statues formed a large and long wall, which itself formed a pathway that joined up to a large archway with walls that hugged the mountains, the wooden portcullis that closed the archway off having been shattered long ago. Four wooden towers were nestled along the pathway inside the courtyard, having once no doubt been filled archers to bottleneck the passage, though now they were rotten and decrepit. The pathway continue to a set of stairs, a pair of jade tigers flanking the top whilst another wall closed off the rest of what they assumed was a city, the doors having been broken down by invaders.

"We're gonna make it!" Ruby cheered, a hopeful smile on her face. "We're gonna make it!"

Then, as if by some cruel twist of fate, a blast of shadow energy struck down the doorway, burying it in rubble and causing them to skid to a halt.

"We didn't make it..." Ruby murmured quietly, her eyes filled with fear as their only hope of escape was cut off.

"Quick! Outside again!" Jaune shouted, beckoning the rest of RNJR to follow him.

Before they could even make it down the steps, the dragon Grimm unleashed a jet of flame at the portcullis entrance, flapping its wings to further fan the flames. Soon enough they found themselves boxed in, their hopes of escape having been cut off by either flame or rubble.

"We're trapped!" Nora shouted, quickly holding _Magnhild_ up in order to defend herself, her eyes locked on the dragon Grimm.

After circling them a number of times, the dragon Grimm landed in front of them, snarling viciously as it bared its teeth at the four teens. It was then that Ruby noticed something strange, something that caught all of them off guard. Someone was riding it.

"Well, you have NO idea how long I've been looking for you..." the rider chuckled menacingly, her haunting laughter echoing across the ancient courtyard.

 **00000000**

 **Well, that's that done. Hope you liked the chapter and feel free to leave a review, and remember, constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your review. Next update will be April 29th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	6. The Assassin's Creed

**Another day, another chapter. Under normal circumstances I would do review responses now but there are no reviews to respond to...well this is extremely awkward. But I will say this. Recently, we lost a member of the WoW community and the WoW YouTube community. Some of you may already know this, but for those that are unaware, the content creator Hayven Games passed away after a long battle with cancer. A petition has been started, one I myself have signed, to get Hayven an NPC in the game as a community tribute. If you're interested in signing the petition, you can do so at the Change website. RIP Hayven, you will be missed. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 6- The Assassin's Creed**

Qrow sat nestled within one of the many crevices of the ancient jungle city of Zul'Gurub, watching the sun set with mild interest as he awaited the arrival of Ebyssian. A small tickling sensation on his left shoulder caught his attention, where he was quick to spot the large Tarantula slowly making its way down his arm, no doubt having come to investigate the disturbance outside its lair. With a quick flick of his finger he sent the Tarantula flying to the floor, the hairy arachnid quickly scuttling off into the shadows in fright. He hoped that Ebyssian would arrive sooner rather than later. Despite the city being demolished and its inhabitants having either fled or been wiped out, the many creatures they kept as pets had began to repopulate the city as wild beasts, not to mention that some small communities had begun to return to the vast temple city.

As he began to contemplate on how to pass the time, he saw a strange bird like shape in the distance. He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer, quickly making out the bat like wings and lizard like tail. At first he began to smile, but then he noticed something off about the size and colouration of the creature, and also of the shape of a person riding the beast. That was when the purple flame billowed out of its mouth, lighting the forest up in twilight fire. His eyes went wide as he began to realise that the creature wasn't Ebyssian, but one of the Twilight Grimm, which made whoever was riding it a member of the Twilight's Hammer.

As he began to contemplate why they were this deep in the Animus wilds, more twilight flames ignited the area. It was clear that whoever they were chasing they wanted boxed in, which begged the question as to who were they chasing. Qrow could only think if three people in the immediate area they were after, and it certainly wasn't either him or Ebyssian down there. It had to be Ruby, who else could it be? But if it was her, what was she doing down here? A question he would no doubt be asking as soon as their uninvited guest was dealt with…

 **00000000**

"Well, you have NO idea how long I've been looking for you..."

Ruby tightened her grip on _Crescent Rose_ as the rider then dismounted, her hips leaning to the side as she tightened her grip on the twin daggers resting either side of her belt. Her attention then turned to the large Dragon Grimm at her side, already scanning for any weaknesses. Professor Port had said in their classes that all Grimm had a weak spot: Borbatusk's had a soft underbelly, Beowolves skin was softer at the joints, that and so much more about Grimm combat. But this thing was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Its scales were shifting between black and purple, the red markings were the colour of night and its eyes burned with something more than hatred, something far more primal. She had no idea how to deal with this thing, and judging from the concerned glances of her friends neither did they.

"Who are you?" Jaune demanded, quickly unsheathing _Crocea Mors_ and holding the blade out, the tip aimed at the woman in question.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself," the woman replied, quickly unsheathing her own daggers and spinning them around in front of her, the metal clanging as the blades rasped against one another. "I am Asira Dawnslayer, and I've been looking for you for the longest time."

"What do you want with us?" Ren demanded, priming _Stor_ _mFlower_ in case the intruder tried anything.

To his, and everyone's surprise, Asira's eyes widened in shock before she began to laugh in a condescending manner, leaning her head back as she did. The members of Team RNJR all looked at one another in confusion, watching as the assassin held a hand to her masked mouth, clearly trying to contain any further laughter.

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm not here for you." Asira explained, pointing at Ren as she spoke, before pointing at both Nora and Jaune. "Nor you, or you. I'm only here...for you."

All followed the direction of the assassin's finger, only to find she was pointing at none other than Ruby. The red cloaked Huntress in training simply looked on with wide eyes, her grip on her weapon only growing tighter.

"Cinder sent you...didn't she?" Ruby seethed, shifting _Crescent Rose_ into its Sniper form, her finger moving to pull the trigger.

"Cinder?" Asira snorted, shaking her head slowly as she spoke the name. "Cinder is dead, along with the rest of her people. I serve a higher power, one who would seek to unravel the world and make it anew."

"Twilight's Hammer..." Ren whispered, stepping forward as he made the accusation. "You work for the Twilight's Hammer, don't you?"

"See, now you're catching on." the assassin mockingly complimented, nodding her head as she spoke.

"How can you work for people who murder innocents?" Ruby questioned, remembering the sight's they saw at Kirthaven, and what exactly the Twilight's Hammer was capable of.

"I'll admit, at first I didn't like the idea of this whole 'Hour of Twilight' nonsense. But the money they offered was just too good to refuse." Asira explained, laughing mirthfully at the mere mention of currency. "But then, the more I thought about it, the more sense it began to make. We're all destined to burn away sooner or later, might as well burn and have a chance to be reborn as living flame."

"You're insane." Ruby responded, the Twilight Grimm hissing back at her as saliva dribbled from between its serrated teeth.

"Now now child," Asira tutted in a condescending manner, wagging a finger from side to side. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to be judgemental of other people's beliefs?"

The mere mention of her mother sent a surge of feelings through her, causing her to grit her teeth as she shifted her feet to prepare for a brace, watching as the assassin then turned her attention to her friends.

"Now children, I want you to pay attention." Asira began, speaking with a subtle hint of authority. "I'm only here for your friend, you getting in the way would only be unnecessary blood on my blades. Blood I'm not being paid to spill. Turn around and walk away, and I swear on the Hammer of Twilight and every single deity you can think of, including my own, that I won't kill you. Refuse, and you die with the girl."

Jaune, Ren and Nora simply looked at one another, nodding once in affirmation before turning back to face the assassin.

"You want to kill her, you'll have to kill us first." Jaune said, a determined look on his face. Asira simply narrowed her eyes, an evil glint that only promised pain lighting up quickly.

"If you insist..." Asira murmured, her grip tightening on her daggers as she suddenly whistled loudly, the Twilight Grimm turning its gargantuan head towards her. "...sic 'em."

The Twilight Grimm roared loudly as it leapt into the air, its gargantuan wings beating wildly as it let loose a torrent of twilight fire, Team RNJR jumping out of the way as the area they were standing on suddenly went up in flames, the Twilight Grimm flying overhead as it prepared to turn for another strafe.

Gunshots went off as Ruby suddenly ducked, purple bullets flying over her as she turned, Asira circling to the left as she fired more rounds, her daggers having changed into pistols. Ruby ducked again as she fired rounds from _Crescent Rose_ , the assassin easily dodging the rounds lazily as she fired more rounds. The Twilight Grimm took a loud intake of air as it prepared to loose another torrent of fire, the courtyard lighting up once more with twilight flames.

Ruby and Jaune leapt to the side as the second wave passed, Ruby coughing loudly as she attempted to stand. The Twilight Grimm roared as it prepared for another strafe, Ruby quickly firing rounds from _Crescent Rose_ , peppering the sky with Dust bullets. The Twilight Grimm snarled as a round scraped its flank, the mutant Grimm swerving into a nose dive as more fire began to spill from its mouth.

"Ruby, watch out!" Jaune suddenly cried out, leaping to his feet and hefting his shield out in front of him.

The clang of metal on metal reverberated around her as Jaune blocked the overhead strike from Asira, who had closed the gap as Ruby tried to shoot down the Twilight Grimm. Before Ruby could join in on the attack, the Twilight Grimm returned, billowing out a line of flame, cutting her off from joining Jaune, leaving her on the other side with Nora and Ren. The three could only watch as Jaune was viciously assaulted with a series of kicks and slashes, his Aura sending off white sparks with each strike. With a final spinning kick, Jaune was sent flying through the flames, his Aura still sparking as his clothing caught fire.

"Jaune!" Ruby shouted, rushing forward towards the blonde knight as he began to pat out the flames, quickly quenching them before they could do any real damage.

"I'm...I'm fine." Jaune reassured, wincing loudly as he began to get up. He glanced at the inside of his shield and his eyes went wide, a look of worry on his face. "What the..."

Ruby stole a glance and saw that even now Jaune's Aura was depleting at a steady rate, even though the flames had been quenched and he was no longer getting struck by attacks. A chuckle from the other side of the wall of fire made them turn their attention back to Asira, the assassin prowling back and forth like a caged beast. Another airborne shriek caused them to look up, the Twilight Grimm loosing forth a blast of concentrated shadow energy, the lance of dark energy headed directly towards them.

"Move!" Ren shouted, quickly diving to the side as the bolt neared them.

The remainder of Team RNJR followed suite, the blast of energy impacting the ground and churning up brick and dirt. All yelled in both shock and pain as the radiating heat stung their skin and burned them even from a distance. They hit the floor hard, all wincing and groaning in pain as they attempted to stand.

"Can't you see? It's hopeless to resist." Asira gloated, holding her arms out either side in a mocking manner. "Surrender, and I'll make your death's as painless as possible."

"Remind me to punch her in the throat when we're done." Nora hissed, leaping into the air with an angry expression on her face.

"We need to beat her first, and we've no way of doing that with that thing in the air!" Jaune reasoned, pointing at the Twilight Grimm as it began to turn around for another attack.

"All right, new plan." Ruby said, getting up as she turned to the rest of her team. "Me and Jaune will take on blondie over there whilst you two try and-"

Ruby was cut off as Asira sprang behind her and kicked in the gut, quickly following through with multiple other thrashes from her blades as she diverted the hooded Huntress away from her friends.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Nora argued, an angry scowl on her face.

"Well I guess we were expecting too much if we thought she would let us deliberate on a new plan." Jaune muttered under his breath before turning to face Nora and Ren. "I'll go help Ruby. You two keep that thing off our back's as best as you can."

"Will do Jaune." Ren nodded, quickly reloading _StormFlower_ as he and Nora moved into position.

Jaune then turned to face Asira and Ruby, clenching his fist tightly as he saw that Ruby was barely able to hold her own against the assassin, who was easily ducking and rolling beneath the swings of the large and clumsy weapon. She was entirely focused on Ruby, that much was clear, meaning the chance of her expecting an attack from behind was next to nothing. A simple short sword wasn't going to do anything against her, he was going to have to use something with a little more bite.

He plucked the Scroll from his shield, shifting it back into its sheath mode and sheathed the blade. With a pull of the trigger, he activated the new form, the one he had commissioned after they had killed the Geist. The length and width of the sword expanded as the shield morphed into a new blade, locking onto the hilt via magnetic clamps, transforming from a short sword into a bastard sword. With his new weapon in hand, he charged forward, raising the blade over his head for a powerful swing. Asira's daggers were locked with _Crescent Rose_ , a defiant scowl on Ruby's face as she attempted to push back the much stronger assassin.

Without even a yell, Jaune hefted the blade and prepared to swing down on the assassin's back. As the blade neared the apex of its swing, Asira glanced behind her and smiled grimly beneath her mask. There was a sudden flash of light as Jaune was forced to close his eyes, the sound of his blade hitting something hard clanging around him as he felt the muscles in his arm jar wildly. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see his strike had been parried by a pair of large white swords that were hovering over the assassin's back. He looked around, wondering perhaps if Asira had had an accomplice that was just now revealing themselves, only to find the blades were held by no one.

The blades suddenly swerved upwards, sending Jaune staggering back as the blades then locked onto Ruby's weapon, attempting to pull the weapon away from her with a single over the shoulder throw. Ruby, her grip still tight on her weapon, was thrown back as well, landing on the ground hard next to Jaune. The Blonde Knight was quick to help his friend up, both turning to see Asira stood still, the ghostly blades hovering over her as if suspended by strings. The blades suddenly began to shudder as a faint glowing aura surrounded her, the blades suddenly splitting into multiple other blades, quickly spinning around the assassin in a circle.

"I think we just figured out her Semblance." Ruby muttered, tightening her grip on her Scythe.

"I'll distract her, see if you can flank her." Jaune whispered, hefting the bastard sword in his hand up, a grim look on his face.

As the pair charged the assassin again, a sudden shriek echoed across the courtyard, causing all to turn and face it. The Twilight Grimm had descended into a nose dive, concentrated dark matter seeping from its mouth. Ren was firing rounds from _StormFlower_ , trying to herd the Grimm into a single location. Then Nora fired a round from _Magnhild_ , watching as the pink bolt sped towards the Grimm. Nora let out a whooping cheer as the bolt neared the head of the Dragon.

The cheer was quick to die in her throat however, as the Twilight Grimm suddenly dispersed into a black cloud in the shape of a dragon, the bolt passing harmlessly through the shadow and quickly dying out like a flare. Panicked looks were quickly etched onto their faces as the Twilight Grimm morphed back into a more solid shape, quickly firing the lance of twilight energy. The round impacted against the floor, exploding a torrent of flame, sent further by the fanning of the Twilight Grimm's wings. Everyone, even Asira herself, was launched back from the blast, the Twilight Grimm departing quickly from the scene.

Ruby groaned in pain as she hit the floor, red energy crackling wildly across her body. Her Aura was depleted, that much she knew, but whether or not she actually was herself wounded she didn't know. She saw _Crescent Rose_ in front of her, no doubt having been knocked from her grasp by the explosion. As she crawled forward to grab hold of the weapon again, she felt a sudden vice like grip on her ankle yank her back, pulling her away from the beloved weapon. Before she could even contemplate clawing the floor, the grip released her, only to instead pull her back by her hair, elighting a sharp yell from the Huntress. She gazed at her attacker, and found herself staring face to face with Asira, her once neat hair having grown slightly ruffled from the explosion, a smudge of soot across her cheek. With her other hand she raised a dagger over her head, ready to thrust down into Ruby's throat. It was also at that moment that Ruby saw the faint sheen coating the dagger, and noticed the unusual texture of the weapon.

A bullet resounded suddenly as Asira was forced to release Ruby, quickly leaping back as something zoomed past her. She turned and scowled immediately, drawing the second dagger from its sheath and twirling to face her attacker.

"Well well well, if it isn't dear old uncle here to save the day." Asira mocked, moving towards her attacker. Ruby turned to face the direction that Asira was facing, and let out an involuntary gasp as she recognised her saviour.

"Step back bitch." Qrow warned, holding his sword out in front of him. "Before this gets messy."

In response, Asira chuckled mirthfully as her gaze shifted to the right. "Messy it is then."

The beating of wings echoed loudly as both Asira and Qrow turned to face it, the Twilight Grimm flying low with outstretched claws and open maw, letting loose a hideous shriek as it neared Branwen. In response, Qrow merely shifted his position to face the Grimm, waiting for the Twilight Grimm to pass directly over him. He then swung his sword in an upward arc, black blood spluttering out as the blade struck at the Twilight Grimm's wing membrane, the Grimm letting out a panicked yell as it lost balance and crashed into one of the wooden watchtowers, the rotten structure quickly collapsing on the Grimm in a cloud of dust.

"You were saying?" Qrow asked mockingly, turning to face Asira with a raised eyebrow.

The assassin let out a savage yell as she charged at Qrow, leaping into the air as she swung down with her daggers. Qrow parried the strike and moved in for a kick, the assassin blocking the strike with a kick of her own. Ruby attempted to move to help but a surge of pain made her fall, forcing her instead to simply watch the fight play out. Both combatants were good, far better then any she had seen before. Usually when she watched her Uncle fight he far outclassed them, but this time he seemed to had met his match. As both combatants withdrew, Qrow charged again whilst Asira reached for something in her coat, a small round object, throwing it towards Qrow. Before Ruby could even yell out a warning, there was an explosion of smoke which quickly expanded from the point of impact, Asira chuckling as she twirled her daggers and leapt into the smoking cloud.

Ruby could only watch as the cloud became thicker and heavier, occasionally catching the faintest glint of metal as the sword clashed with the daggers. There was a sudden yell as Asira was launched from the cloud, hitting the floor hard and skidding to a stop, her body crackling with purple energy. The smoke soon dispersed, Qrow swinging his sword around him as the same energy crackled around him. Both their Aura's were down, now every hit could truly hurt. Both charged one another again, blocking and hacking at one another with renewed determination.

That was when it all went wrong.

As Qrow raised the blade over his head he swung down, Asira parrying the strike with her right dagger. Then she began to turn, swinging her left dagger across Qrow's stomach. He swerved out of the way, but he wasn't quick enough. He growled in pain as a red line suddenly appeared across his stomach, staggering him back. As Asira continued to turn, she swung out with her right dagger, creating a large gash across Qrow's arm which immediately began to weep crimson. Qrow fell hard as Asira paused in her spin, spinning the daggers in her hands.

"Qrow!" Ruby shouted, getting up and ignoring every fibre of pain in her body, even as Asira turned to face her and raised one of her blades at her.

 _BANG!_

Ruby stopped in her tracks as she felt a sudden pit in her stomach. All noise seemed to dampen around her as she looked at her stomach, a red stain quickly forming. She fell to her knees as Asira lowered her dagger, smoke billowing out of the end. Asira then began to saunter forward at a steady pace, like a wolf closing in on a dying deer.

Then there was a loud crash as Asira was forced back, and Ruby was forced to look away. When she did, she herself was surprised to see a large black scaled dragon standing between her and Asira, letting out a challenging roar as what appeared to be magma glowed between its scales.

"Wh-what the?" Asira muttered, backing away rapidly in clear shock.

"Hey bitch."

Asira turned as Qrow stood up, swinging his sword in an arc in front of him. The sound of metal slicing flesh was heard, followed immediately by a shrill scream as Asira suddenly covered her face with her hands. When Asira removed her hands from her face, still growling in pain, Ruby saw that her left eye had been cut open, blood and intraocular fluid flowing freely from the wound. Before Asira could respond, the sound of wood breaking caught her attention, the Twilight Grimm erupting out from the pile of rubble, splinters of wood covering its scaly hide.

"This...isn't over..." Asira hissed, half stumbling towards the Twilight Grimm, which was quick to grab her and fly away, it's flight pattern uneven due to the injury Qrow inflicted.

Both Qrow and the Black Dragon turned to face Ruby, her face paler than usual as the loss of blood began to take its toll. The last thing she remembered seeing were the fiery eyes of the Dragon. Eyes that seemed so similar.

 **00000000**

 **What? You didn't think I'd kill Qrow again did you? After the response from last time? Well liked it? Feel free to leave a response and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your review. Now, this is usually the part where I say when the next update will be. The next update will unfortunately be June 3rd, the reason being that on May 13th, I'm going on holiday for two weeks and won't be back until the 27th. Hope you all understand this slight delay.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	7. The Talk

**I am back! I have returned from holiday and I'm back on the story. The good news is that during my free time away, I was able to plan out future chapters, so there should be no writers block's in the future. Now, review response time. Guest; In the first chapter, it states that Salem and all her followers have been killed with only a few left, and don't worry about Ruby. OutlastTheDark; the possessed weapons as you called them are meant to be my interpretation of her Blade Fury ability in the Hour of Twilight Dungeon. And The True Skull; well, a Semblance that is a direct ability is a lot easier to portray then one that's more of a passive ability. Also if Qrow had lost to Asira, he wouldn't be in it any more. That's all I'm saying. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 7- The Talk**

Ruby winced slightly as her eyes began to open. Her vision was blurred, as if a shroud of fog had wrapped itself around her eyes. She felt groggy, groggier than usual when she was waking up. Her stomach felt tight, almost as if she had something tied around her waist. Why would she-

Wait, she'd been shot. That was right, she'd been shot, by the assassin. She remembered Qrow getting cut, and then the assassin shot her in the stomach but after that, everything seemed blurry. Her vision was beginning to get clearer, and she soon realised she was looking at the night sky, the moon hovering overhead in its semi shattered state. She began to sit up, which is when she noticed the linen bandages wrapped around her stomach, a small red smudge in the centre. She tried to sit up further, but a sudden tug in her gut made her lower herself with a small yell of pain.

"Ruby!"

Ruby turned at the sound of her name, quickly spotting the form of Jaune coming towards her, both Ren and Nora not far behind him. The blonde knight stopped a few inches short of Ruby, kneeling down next to her with a relieved look on his face.

"Oh Ruby, thank god you're okay!" Jaune said, a relieved smile on his face. "How are you?"

"I feel...rough..." Ruby managed to say, wincing slightly as she spoke. It was then that another thought crossed her mind, before she got shot. "Qrow? Where is he?"

The smile on Jaune's face disappeared almost immediately after she mentioned her uncles name, replaced now by a blank and almost sullen look.

"He's by the fire." Jaune responded, before offering a hand to Ruby. "Here, I'll take you to him."

Ruby took the hand almost immediately, wincing slightly as she stood up, threatening to strain the bound wound on her stomach.

"Easy, easy..." Jaune warned, craning his neck so it could act as a support for Ruby's left arm.

"Jaune, I can handle myself you know, I'm not crippled." Ruby deadpanned.

"Oh, right...sorry." Jaune muttered sheepishly, taking a step back to give Ruby some room, whilst making sure he was close enough to catch her in case she fell.

With one hand covering her wound, Ruby slowly moved forward to where Jaune had said Qrow was. From what she could tell of the surroundings, they were still in those ruins, though they were no longer at the entrance of the large complex. From what she could tell, they were in a large open space with walls surrounding them on nearly all side except one, which she assumed was the entrance. Plant life native to Mistral seemed to cover every inch of the complex, rendering the hieroglyphs on the wall near unreadable. There were also more of the Proto-Faunus skeletons, as well as more of the Mantle Soldier skeletons littering the area, and judging by the position of some of the human bones, they had been bound before their death, causing a swirl of horrible ideas as to what happened to them to fill Ruby's head.

Eventually the trees began to part and soon she saw a small camp fire surrounded by logs, no doubt for them to sit on, with someone else sat on the one in front of a large statue somewhat resembling a bat like creature. She then recognised the figure as Qrow, his stomach bandaged similarly to her own, though he also had a number of bandages on his right arm. But it wasn't the injuries that caused her to freeze in her tracks. It was the large black scaled Dragon that was laid next to him, the reptile tilting its gargantuan head towards her as if it just noticed her.

"Well well, if it isn't Miss Rose." the Dragon said in a deep earthy voice. "Awake at last."

"Guys..." Ruby whispered, turning her head slightly towards her friends. "Why is there a Dragon here?"

"I can hear, you know." the Dragon mentioned, lifting a brow slightly as it spoke.

"Yeah, we kinda wanna find out too." Jaune quickly replied.

"Yeah, but mister drunk uncle over there said he would explain everything when you woke up," Nora added, before leaning towards Ruby slightly. "So you know, you might wanna go over there and talk."

Ruby rolled her eyes slightly as she moved forward, Qrow's head snapping towards her with a smile that looked as though it could have rivalled Jaune's earlier. He tried to stand, only to wince in pain and sit down again, his hand grasping hold of his injured stomach.

"Ruby." Qrow began, his voice calmer than his face seemed to be. "How are you feeling?"

"Rough..." Ruby responded, wincing slightly as she took a seat on Qrow's right, with Jaune sat next to her whilst Ren and Nora opted to sit on the log opposite them, which just so happened to be the one the Dragon seemed to be behind. "So, are you going to introduce us to your friend or what?"

"Right," Qrow replied, holding his hand out towards the Dragon. "This is-"

"There will be no need for introductions." the Dragon interrupted, shifting onto all fours. "My name is Ebyssian, but I believe you know my by another name already."

"And what name is that?" Nora asked, turning around and craning her head so was looking directly at the Dragon's head.

In response, Ebyssian said nothing, but his scales began to glow brighter before he seemed to get smaller. As he shrank, he adjusted his footing so he was standing only on his hind legs, shrinking to just about the size of a human. It was then that his body began to mutate, black scales shifting into dark skin, his forearms blackened and glowing with fire like cracks, almost as if they were made of magma. His tail shortened and in place of scales, sprouted fur, becoming almost moose like. The horns on his head disappeared into his skull, with two black moose antlers sprouting from his forehead, and long black hair tied back into a ponytail. His claws also disappeared, changing into nails, and his eyes, once glowing with fire, changed into amber human eyes. His wings were the last to disappear, though rather than vanishing into his body as his other Draconic features had, they folded around his body, forming clothing.

He was now wearing grey trousers with black boots beneath, with a black shirt covering his chest and a red sash around his neck and a black belt wrapped around his waist. Over the shirt he wore a sleeveless overcoat which draped down to just beneath his knees, with another belt laden with scrolls and other parchments wrapped around from his left shoulder to the right side of his hip. Upon the buckle of both belts were two axes crossed over one another, the symbol of Beacon. But that wasn't what caught their attention, it was the features of his face, and how eerily similar they looked to someone they knew.

"Professor Ebonhorn?" Ren finally asked, a look of both relief and confusion etched on his face. "I-...we thought you were dead. Everyone did!"

In response, Ebonhorn smiled, folding his arms across his chest as he took a seat next to Qrow, who shuffled over slightly to give the Dragon room. "I am sorry for deceiving you all, but it was necessary. It made my job easier if everyone believed my alias to be deceased."

"Wait, I thought you wore gloves." Nora suddenly questioned, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at their now revealed Draconic Professor.

"That was to hide these." Ebonhorn responded, holding his arms out, which still looked as though they had been encased in hardened magma. "We Dragons have a tendency of leaving behind a small hint of our Draconic nature whilst in our mortal form. Usually it takes the form of our eyes or something more subtle, but with me, its always my arms."

"Well that explains why I thought you always smelled of charcoal..." Nora muttered quietly to herself.

"Wait, so are you saying you've been a Dragon this whole time?" Ruby finally said, to which Ebonhorn nodded. "Why?"

"To keep an eye on things." Ebonhorn replied. "A Dragon's senses are for more sensitive than even a Faunus. I looked out for intruders who didn't belong there."

"And might I add what an excellent job you did with discovering Cinder." Jaune responded sarcastically, his voice tinted somewhat venomously. "Oh wait, you didn't."

"That was different. I was searching for other intruders, one's that could have been far more dangerous." Ebonhorn responded calmly, though his words seemed to agitate Jaune even more.

"Oh, you mean the intruders more dangerous than the ones who allowed the White Fang to attack Beacon with an army of Grimm? Or the one who killed Ozpin? Or the one who summoned a freaking Grimm Dragon to destroy Beacon? Or more dangerous than the one who killed-"

Jaune silenced himself, unable to finish his statement, tears already threatening to spill from his eyes. When they turned to face Ebonhorn, they were surprised to find only a look of pity on his face, no anger visible whatsoever.

"No Jaune, not that one." Qrow responded, albeit less sympathetic. "He's talking about the one's who worship the Dragon that actually destroyed Beacon and tore the world apart."

"Wait, you mean the Dragon who looks suspiciously like Ebonhorn?" Nora asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the Professor in question once again.

"Yes...him." Ebonhorn responded, deciding quietly to himself it was best not to reveal that they were, in fact, related. "The same one who has signed your death warrant, Miss Rose."

"Me?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide in shock as all turned to face her. "But...what have I done to him?"

"And why would the Twilight's Hammer work with him anyway?" Ren questioned, turning to face Qrow for answers. "They want to destroy the world."

"And Deathwing wants to destroy all life, their goals coincide, no?" Qrow responded. "Fortunately for us, they don't have the power to do that. At least not yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ren asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Well, it's a long story..." Qrow paused as he looked around, almost as if searching for any unfriendly eyes or ears. "...but I guess we have time."

Without another word, Qrow straightened his back and coughed into his hand before he slouched forward again and held his hands to the fire, warming them against the open flames.

"A long, long, LONG time ago, there was a war." Qrow began, quickly speaking again before Jaune could ask a question. "Now I'm not talking about the Great War, or the Faunus War, or the Conquest of Mantle. I'm talking about a War that began when Remnant first came to be. I know all of you have heard how we all came from Dust and that the Grimm tried to wipe us all out, but that's only partially true. Before we came into existence, the world was ruled by four primal entities; Air, Earth, Fire and Water, and they hated each other. But there was one thing they hated more than each other, and that was competition. And guess what that competition came in the form of?"

"Us." Jaune responded quietly, to which both Qrow and Ebonhorn nodded in response before the former continued.

"And so they decided to do something unheard of; they worked together, almost wiping us off the face of Remnant in the process." Qrow paused as he sighed solemnly to himself before continuing. "The Grimm came shortly after, birthed from the chaos and fear they caused. But one day, they just vanished, leaving behind Dust and giving us a fighting chance."

"And what does this have to do with the Twilight's Hammer wanting both the end of the world and Ruby dead?" Jaune asked, causing everyone once again to shift their attention to Ruby momentarily before Ebonhorn responded.

"When the Elementals were turned to Dust, the four leaders were changed into relics of unimaginable power. With the relics, humanity was able to accomplish great achievements, but with them came great danger. For if the relics were ever shattered, the Elements would be free, and this time, with nothing to stop them."

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked somewhat credulously. "Surely if an army of...whatever these Elemental things are, we'd be more inclined than ever to stand together. And we have a technological advantage over them surely."

"We only have that advantage due to Dust, and guess what will happen to that Dust when the Elemental Lord's return." Qrow rebuked, causing Jaune to simply turn his head away. "And besides, if there's one thing I know about humanity, it's that we don't like working with each other."

"Question," Nora asked almost cheerfully before pointing both hands at Ruby. "What does this have to do with Ruby?"

"I don't know why they want Ruby dead, but if killing her is that important to them, I think we can all agree that keeping her alive is the best thing to do." Qrow responded, before he turned his full attention to Ruby. "You have to be careful now Ruby. The more people know about you, the more danger you'll be in. I don't want you to end up like your moth-"

Qrow silenced himself before he could finish, a panicked look on his face as if he'd just realised he'd made a mistake. He turned away instantly, causing the Huntsman in Training to send suspicious glares at him.

"What do you mean 'end up like my mother'?" Ruby asked, her voice dangerously quiet.

"I never said anything about your mother." Qrow responded, attempting to divert the attention.

"No, but you were going to." Ruby retorted, now glaring at Qrow.

Qrow said nothing at all, before finally turning to Ebonhorn, who gave a solemn nod in response. With a sigh, Qrow leaned forward, rubbing his eyes before turning to face Ruby.

"You know how I told you your mother died whilst hunting Grimm?" Qrow asked, to which Ruby nodded her head. "That's...only partially true. The Twilight's Hammer lured her into a trap, getting the Grimm to attack a village far enough away from any Kingdom help. She came to help, and the trap was sprung. In the end, it took two of Deathwing's children to take her down. I'm sorry."

Ruby did not respond immediately, a surge of emotions travelling through her. She was frightened about why the Twilight's Hammer would go out of their way to kill her, she was distressed that after all these years that her mother had been killed not by the Grimm, but the Twilight's Hammer themselves, which were now after her. And she was angry, angry that after all these years Qrow had lied to her about her mother's death. And it was her anger that made itself known.

"I can't believe you lied to me all these years." Ruby replied, her eyes narrowed in hatred.

"Ruby, I lied to protect you." Qrow reasoned, though his words didn't seem to sway the red hooded huntress. "The less you knew about your mother's death, the less inclined you would be in finding out more. And if you found out that the Twilight's Hammer were involved in her death, they would know that they didn't quite finish the job when they killed your mother."

"But why would knowing Ruby's still alive have anything to do with killing her Summer?" Jaune asked, a confused and angry look on his face.

"It's because of my Silver Eyes, isn't it?" Ruby asked, to which neither Qrow nor Ebonhorn replied. "You said my mother had Silver Eye's too, didn't you. Or was that just another lie?"

Qrow did not respond immediately, instead choosing to stand up and move towards Ruby, before kneeling in front of her and placing her hand between his. "Ruby, I-"

Almost immediately Ruby pulled her hand out of Qrow's, turning away from him as she did. She then turned towards Ebonhorn, her eyes puffy as tears began to stream down her face.

"Ebonhorn, I want to go home."

"Ruby, you must understand that you can't go home, not with the Twilight's Hammer looking for you." Ebonhorn warned, attempting to be the voice of reason. "Either they're already headed there to search for you or they've already been. Going back will surely-"

"I know." Ruby interrupted, turning away from Ebonhorn again. "I know that it will paint a bigger target on my back, but I want to see my dad again, and my sister. I need to know that they are safe."

Ebonhorn sighed, shaking his head slowly before turning to face Ruby again. "If you truly wish to help this world, you won't return home. But if you insist on doing so, then I will help you."

"Thank you." Ruby responded, before she began to stand up, followed immediately by the rest of her friends. But before she left, she turned around to face Qrow one last time. "Qrow, when this is over, I never want to see you again. Ever."

Qrow sighed, a sad look on his face as he slowly nodded, watching as Ruby and her friends left the camp fire, where they disappeared in the jungle growth shortly after. He then turned to face Ebonhorn, who had a sympathetic look on his face.

"I think...I think I'll retire as well." Qrow finally said, standing up as he spoke. "Catch some shut eye for tomorrow."

"I'll keep an eye on things, make sure we're not being watched." Ebonhorn responded, seconds later transforming back into his Draconic form and taking to the skies with a single beat of his wings.

Qrow watched him fly when he felt a sudden stab of pain in both his arm and his stomach, nearly collapsing on the spot. He managed to steady himself, seething loudly when he felt a surge of pain in his heart.

"That...can't be good..." Qrow winced as he slowly lowered himself to the ground. Slowly he began to unwrap the bandages on his arm, grimacing slightly as he got to the final layers which seemed to cling to his skin. When the bandage was fully unwrapped, he stared down in shock at the wound. The cut had stopped bleeding, but it was now oozing puss and was beginning to blister, and the skin that wasn't blistering or spewing puss was turning black and dying.

"Definitely...not good..."

 **00000000**

 **Well, that was that. Liked it? Leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Leave in a review or PM me if the question is more personal. Next update will be on June 17th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	8. Homeward Bound

**Another day, another chapter. First, review response time. DragonBlitz85; who knows, maybe you're right. And Guest; it's fine, we all make mistakes. Hell, if I have enough time once I've finished this saga/have the enthusiasm to do so, I could even do a 'prequel' detailing Salem's defeat at the hands of the Twilight's Hammer. But no promises. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 8- Homeward Bound**

Ruby closed her eyes as she felt the wind blow in her face. She felt the large gusts with every beat of Ebonhorn's wings and couldn't help but smile like a small child despite the direness of her situation. She was fast, she'd always been, even without her Semblance. But this? This made her feel as though she had been going at a snails pace her entire life! And the view?

"Enjoying the view back there?"

Ruby opened her eyes and swivelled her head towards that of Ebonhorn's, his mouth agape slightly as if imitating a smile.

"This! Is! Awesome!" Nora responded, who was sat directly behind Ruby on Ebonhorn's back, with Qrow sat behind her.

"Speak for yourself! This is terrifying!" a voice below them cried out.

Ruby leaned over slightly and couldn't help but snicker at the sight. Both Ren and Jaune had been unfortunate enough to be elected to be carried away in Ebonhorn's claws. Though whilst Ren had stayed mostly silent throughout the flight, seemingly taking in the beauty of the scenery, Jaune had spent the majority of the day either screaming or vomiting, much to Ebonhorn's disdain.

"How long will it take us to get to Patch?" Ruby shouted, turning her attention back to Ebonhorn.

"It depends on the weather really." Ebonhorn responded, his fiery eyes scanning the horizon for any threats that had yet to rear their ugly heads. "If the weather stays the same, then I would wager we should be there in a few days. If not, maybe a week at the least."

"You still want me to stay, don't you?" Ruby pointed out, noticing the slight reluctance in his voice.

"It is not my place to say, but since you asked; yes, I do think you should stay." Ebonhorn quickly replied, hoping to end the conversation without causing any form of hostility that had permeated the group the night before.

Ruby had still refused to acknowledge Qrow's presence earlier in the morning. Not only that, but something seemed to be wrong with the veteran Huntsman. He seemed tired and more fatigued than usual, and it was late enough in the day to rule out the 'just woken up' excuse. Even now Ebonhorn was wondering if it was really a good idea to have Qrow ride on his back with no restraints whatsoever.

"Ruby..." Qrow began, his voice already weaker than it had been earlier. "...please talk to me. I know you're angry, and you have every right to be...but know that everything I did was to-"

"Protect me?" Ruby finished off, refusing to even turn around and acknowledge Qrow's presence. "I don't care if you did to protect me or not, it doesn't change the fact that you DID."

"Ruby, I-"

Qrow soon began to cough uncontrollably, causing Nora to wince slightly as she noticed the ugly black tint the mucus seemed to emit.

"Hey, you okay there?" Nora asked, a concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine." Qrow rebuked, swivelling his head to the right as he spat a globule of saliva to clear his mouth. "Just swallowed something, that's all..."

"We can land if you want." Ebonhorn offered, swivelling his large head so he was facing them. "You haven't been well ever since last night. If you need to rest-"

"No, we keep pushing." Qrow rebuked, his voice even weaker then it had been. "I'll...I'll be fine..."

"We might not be in a few seconds!" Jaune suddenly cried out, his voice tinted with more panic then it had been.

All let out confused grunts before Jaune pointed to the far left, causing all to swivel their heads in that direction. At first they saw nothing, but then they noticed the birds that had been roosting in the jungle below were beginning to scatter as a large violet shape flew overhead, making a beeline directly for the group. It was then that they noticed the man atop the beast, wearing armour that was meant to mimic knight's armour, a large spear in his free hand whilst the other gripped the spine of the creature he rode.

"Twilight's Hammer!" Ebonhorn shouted, his eyes widening in shock as the creature, which they could clearly see was a Twilight Grimm, gained on them, the rider atop roaring as he swung the spear over his head. "Must be a scout!"

"Then that means there's a camp nearby, right?" Jaune asked, doing his best to unsheathe _Crocea Mors_ , made more difficult by the large talon wrapped around his midsection.

"Not necessarily..." Qrow commented, couching again as he spoke. "...the assassin did get away after all..."

"Then let's make sure this one doesn't get back." Nora suggested, already unbuckling _Magnhild_ to take a shot at the rapidly approaching Twilight Grimm.

In response, the rider pointed his spear downwards, the Twilight Grimm quickly descending into a nosedive until it was beneath Ebonhorn. In response to this, Ebonhorn let out a blast of magma, the lave like substance quickly descending to the ground below. But the Twilight Grimm was low enough for it to react quickly to the breath attack, swerving left and right as it dodged the lethal projectile. Then it retaliated with a lance of Twilight energy, the purple projectile crackling through the air like a thunderbolt. Ebonhorn swerved at the last second, causing those on his back to suddenly cry out in panic as they gripped tighter onto his scales.

"That...was...AWESOME!" Nora yelled as she began to chuckle wildly. "Do that again!"

"Please don't..." Jaune gulped, his face turning greener with every passing second.

"We're at a disadvantage here!" Ebonhorn commented, firing another blast of magma at the Twilight Grimm, which easily dodged the projectile. "I can't get a good enough shot from this angle!"

"No, but maybe I can..." Qrow responded, causing all to turn and face him. Without another word he drew his Sword, pointing the hilt of the blade at the Twilight Grimm as he prepared to take a shot.

Even before his fingers began to tighten around the trigger, Ruby knew something was wrong. Qrow was sick with something, that much she was certain of. He had been tired all day and he'd been having coughing fits for the last few hours. He looked as though he could barely hold his own weapon. And that was when it tilted just a little too far to the right, as he pulled the trigger, sending a round directly into Ebonhorn's thigh. The Dragon roared in pain as the bullet scraped through his hardened scales, causing blood to spill out of the wound.

"What the hell did you just do?!" Nora shouted in panic, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at Qrow, who had a shocked look on his own face in response.

"That...usually never happens..." Qrow responded, his concentration slipping as he prepared to take another shot.

"Oh no you don't!" Nora said, quickly gripping the blade end of the weapon as she pulled it out from Qrow's grasp, with no resistance whatsoever, much to her and everyone else's surprise. "You okay Ebonhorn?"

In response, Ebonhorn let out a stifled grunt as his wounded leg tensed up slightly, a pained look on his face. "I'll be fine, but that Twilight rider will only gain on us now."

"We need to gain an aerial advantage, or else we're as good as dead!" Jaune reasoned, his eyes scanning the environment for anything that could help. "Head to that gorge, quickly!"

All turned to where the blonde knight was pointing, quickly spotting what he was looking at. In the distance was a large sandy coloured gorge, with what must have been thousand's of needle like pillars reaching up to the sky, some of them even having large boulders balancing precariously on their tips.

"Great idea Jaune, I always wanted to die flying over a bloody gulch!" Nora replied sarcastically.

"Listen, that thing is going to have an advantage over us as long as it's lower down then us." Jaune pointed out, ignoring Nora's sarcasm. "If we enter the gorge and are low enough to the ground, it looses that advantage!"

"Evening the playing field..." Ebonhorn added, before briskly nodding his head. "Hold on everyone!"

Without so much as a second warning, Ebonhorn folded his wings and dove straight to the ground before evening out only a few metres above the ground. Almost immediately Jaune regretted his idea as he saw the blurred traces of the ground, confident that if he was dropped at this speed he would be nothing more but a messy mark on the ground. The ground started to change as they came closer to the gorge, shifting from lush vegetation to gritty sand, before turning into hard rock. They also noticed the immediate change in the wildlife as well, the brightly coloured and vibrant birds and snakes being replaced now by cougars and hyena's. Even a few large scorpions were visible as well as vultures and other carrion birds suited to the harsh environment.

The pillars were also noticeably larger then they had been from a distance, towering over them like giants. The ones with the boulders balancing on top of them seemed more balanced than they had been before, though they still teetered from time to time, looking as though a strong gust of wind would be all it took to send them crashing down. Ebonhorn wasted no time at all, swerving left and right through the pillars, even back tracking a few times in an attempt to confuse their pursuer. There were a few times that they lost sight of the Twilight Grimm, only for the creature to reappear at the last second, still on their tail.

"This isn't working!" Ren shouted, looking behind him as the Twilight Grimm fired a lance of Twilight Energy at the group, Ebonhorn ascending slightly in order to dodge it. "It must be tracking us by scent!"

"Is there nothing we can do to help?" Ruby shouted back, turning around to face their pursuer.

She had seen the Twilight Grimm before, and thought they were terrible to behold even then when the night clouded her vision. But during the day, when the sun was out and she could see it in all its twisted glory? That was much worse. She didn't know how these Twilight Grimm were created and quite frankly, she didn't want to know. As she turned to look ahead, she spotted something in the sky. It was a rope bridge, no doubt having belonged to some far off village that, judging by the quality of the bridge, had long since died off. An idea then formed in her mind as she conducted a plan, a plan that was crazy enough it just might work.

"Ebonhorn, fly over the bridge! I have an idea!" Ruby ordered, earning a confused glance from the Dragon before he nodded.

With a single beat of his wings Ebonhorn flew high into the air until he was directly over the bridge. That was when Ruby jumped off, landing on the rickety bridge on her knees, quickly drawing _Crescent Rose_ and shifting it into its Sniper form. Almost as soon as she had left Ebonhorn's back he had noticed, quickly freezing mid flight and swivelling around to face Ruby, a shocked look on his face as well as everyone else's.

"What are you doing Ruby?!" Jaune shouted, breaking the silence first. "That thing will try and kill you before it even reaches the bridge!"

"That's what I'm counting on!" Ruby retorted, pulling the release on her rifle as she fired a shot at the Twilight Grimm, the round grazing its skull as it flinched and roared, before flying directly towards her. "Now go! And be ready to catch me!"

Reluctantly, the black Dragon complied, solemnly shaking his head as he descended into a nose dive closer to the ground. Ruby turned her attention back to the Twilight Grimm and its rider, seeing now that the Draconic Grimm was focused entirely on her, already sending Twilight Energy into its maw to unleash a deadly blast. She fired more shots at it, each shot grazing the flank of the Twilight Grimm, further angering the beast.

At last, the Grimm fired the energy at her, the crackling Twilight lance speeding towards her faster than a bullet. Ruby stepped to the side, switching her weapon into its Scythe form and leapt into the air, propelled further forward by the explosion of Twilight energy. Even from a safe distance she could feel the dark energy suck the warmth out of her legs, depriving them of heat. Then, when she felt she had enough air time, she activated her Semblance, darting forward directly towards the Twilight Grimm. The creature reared back in preparation for the collision, opening its maw as if expecting to swallow Ruby whole.

With a yell, Ruby soared past the Twilight Grimm, which instead found itself biting down on the blade of _Crescent Rose_ , the edge of the blade embedding itself in the beasts jaws. The Grimm let out a muffled yell as it tried to dislodge the blade, swinging its head back and forth. The rider, still gripping tightly onto the back of the Grimm, stabbed at Ruby with his spear, the young Huntress kicking the spear to the side. As he drew back for another stab, she slammed her heel onto the hand gripping the Grimm's back, causing the man to scream out in pain as her foot connected to his knuckle.

Instinctively he drew the hand back, but too late did he realise his mistake as he almost immediately fell backwards, screaming a haunting death rattle as he landed on the ground, silencing him immediately. The many predators in the gorge leapt upon his carcass immediately, some standing back as if hoping Ruby would meet a similar fate. Still gripping hold of her Scythe, Ruby positioned herself so she was sat where the rider had been, the Twilight Grimm none the wiser as to its change as it still desperately tried to dislodge the blade from its maw.

Placing her feet against the joints of the wings, she pulled with all her strength and fired. The recoil of the weapon caused the scythe blade to jump back, cutting cleanly through the top half of the Twilight Grimm's skull, severing it at the jaw hinges. The Twilight Grimm's body twitched as it stayed airborne for only a brief second before rapidly descending, leaving a trail of black blood in the air as it crashed to the ground. Mid fall, Ruby leapt off the carcass, watching as it plummeted faster before a sudden sense of weightlessness took over. Looking up, she saw that she was in the hind talons of Ebonhorn, her friends cheering her name loudly.

"That was dangerous Ruby, but well executed." Ebonhorn complimented, turning his head slightly so he could face her. "We should stay low now. It will be dark soon, and there may be more cultists."

"Where do you suppose we stop?" Jaune asked matter of factly. "The caves that are here are probably already occupied, and with Qrow getting worse-"

"What do you mean he's getting worse?" Ruby asked, a sudden and unexpected sense of worry overwhelming her.

"I told you...I'm fine..." Qrow managed to say, but his voice was hoarse and strained, more so then it had been earlier.

"We'll have a look at Qrow's injuries when we get the chance, right now we-"

Ebonhorn stopped mid-sentence, suddenly stopping mid-air as if something was wrong. They could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong with him, the way his muscles seemed to tighten as he began to frantically look around. Then suddenly, he turned left, flying faster towards the forest.

"Ebonhorn? What's wrong?" Ruby asked, worried about the Dragon's sudden mood shift.

But Ebonhorn didn't answer, flying low above the tree's as he powered forward, not listening to Ruby's enquiries. Eventually, the forest gave way to fields of grass as Ebonhorn suddenly began to descend further, gently releasing Ruby, Jaune and Ren from his talons, powering forward on all fours as he began to shrink, Nora and Qrow taking that as their cue to jump off, though Qrow was quick to collapse and enter a coughing fit, Ren quickly helping the veteran Huntsman up off the floor.

"You could have warned us about that..." Qrow managed to say, turning towards the Dragon, now in his mortal guise. Ebonhorn turned towards the veteran Huntsman, a sheepish look on his face as if he had just remembered he was being ridden.

"I'm sorry it's just..." Ebonhorn paused, leaning closer to Qrow and whispering into his ear. Qrow's eyes widened as Ebonhorn leaned back, raising an eyebrow as if expecting some response.

"Well, why didn't you just so..." Qrow replied, turning towards the younger Huntsman and Huntresses. "Ebonhorn thinks there might be a farm nearby, might be able to offer some shelter."

"Y-yes, that's right." Ebonhorn quickly stammered. "I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at the Dragon, quickly deducing that Ebonhorn wasn't being entirely honest. She would have to get used to people lying it would seem. Ebonhorn beckoned for them to follow him, staying close by to Qrow lest he enter another coughing fit or worse. Ruby herself winced as she put a hand to her stomach, which was still bandaged up. She wondered if maybe she had pulled the wound open again when fighting, or perhaps she had just strained it a bit too much for one day.

As they moved forward, the signs of civilization came into view. Near the forest borders was farmland, mostly wheat fields here and there. Soon a large barn came into view with a stable, and a moderate sized house not far away. They quickly headed towards the door of the building, Ren peeking through the window to check for signs of life.

"Looks like someone lives here, though I can't see anyone..." Ren commented, before turning to rejoin the group.

Without another word Ebonhorn approached and gently knocked on the door. The sounds of footsteps were quick to follow before the door swung open, revealing a middle-aged woman wearing a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up and well worn jeans, along with some working boots that were stained with dirt. The woman's black hair was tied back into a ponytail and her face was showing small signs of age such as a creased brow.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, placing a hand on the door frame as if signalling that she didn't want them inside.

"Yes, we're sorry to bother you ma'am," Ebonhorn began, before gesturing towards the others. "Me and my friends are tired and some of them are injured. We would appreciate it greatly if you provided shelter for a few nights."

The woman paused as she looked over the six of them, an unsure look on her face as if she was mentally debating whether or not to accept them or not. Eventually the woman caved, letting out a sigh as she turned her head around to look behind her.

"Oscar! Get the guest room ready! We have some company!" the woman shouted. There was a muffled reply and the sound of feet shuffling as whoever was upstairs began to move around. "Well come on in then. Sorry about the mess, weren't expecting visitors."

"Thank you." Ruby responded as she came in, shutting the door behind her. "We really appreciate it."

"Don't thank me just yet..." the woman muttered quietly to herself before she turned to address the group. "Now, I suppose you haven't eaten yet? We have some leftovers from earlier. It ain't much, but at least its something."

Ruby nodded her head in appreciation as the woman led them into the kitchen where she put some plates and eating utensils out onto a table before heading to the fridge, where she quickly pulled out the remains of a roast chicken, allowing the group to pick apart what was left of it. As she sat there eating, Ruby couldn't help but feel as though the worst was behind them.

 **00000000**

Asira winced in pain as the healers pulled away the dead skin around her eye, nearly shrieking in pain when they then proceeded to cauterise the wound with a hot iron. She gripped the rests of the chair she was sat in as they then proceeded to wrap fresh bandaging around the wound, covering the top left corner of her face. She sat up, breathing loudly as she tried to stand, only to collapse on the ground in a heap. The healers rushed to aid her up, but were rudely rebuked as she proceeded to stand up herself, her legs shaking.

"You're lucky we found you when we did." a voice told her, causing her to turn and face it. "If it weren't for us, who knows how infected the wound could have become."

She seethed as the Twilight Commander walked forward, a condescending scowl on his face. How she wanted to just reach out and snap his neck. She instead opted to take another step forward, her legs no longer shaking from the intense pain she had just endured.

"I'm telling you, if it weren't for that Dragon and her damn Uncle showing up I would have killed her." Asira hissed, before turning to face the Twilight Commander. "Besides, you were the one who let her go when you saw her at Kirthaven."

The Commander tensed as his left eye twitched in rage before calming himself immediately.

"And I have told you, had I known that the Twilight Father wanted her dead I would have stayed and killed her." the Commander rebuked. "Besides, you're the one who let her go with a gunshot wound and a dying man."

"And like I told you, there was a fucking Dragon with them!" Asira angrily rebuked back.

"Well, with you currently incapacitated by your wound, we will simply have to send in someone else to do the job."

 **00000000**

 **Well, that's that done. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me. Next update will be July 1st.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	9. Departure

**Another day, another chapter. Before we begin, review response time. OutlastTheDark; yeah, too bad they won't be appearing at all. Well, he is sick and all so you know. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 9- Departure**

Oscar ran around the top floor of the house like a rabbit being chased by a wolf, carrying multiple bedsheets in his arms as he scuttled back and forth between the supply closet and the guest room. He didn't know that his Aunt was expecting guests. Then again, judging by the way she spoke, she didn't know they were having guests. He couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the thought of his supposedly all knowing Aunt not knowing something for once.

"What are you sniggering about Oscar?"

"Wha-?" Oscar stammered, spinning around to see his Aunt stood by the door of the guest room with her arms crossed. "Nothing."

"Right, sure you were." his Aunt chuckling as she lowered her arms and stepped towards him, ruffling his hair which caused him to try and duck his head out of the way. "Guest room ready yet?"

"Nearly, just one more bed to do." Oscar replied, gesturing to the bedding in his arms.

"Well once you've finished go do a few rounds outside, clear out the barn and all." his Aunt ordered, before she noticed the slight apprehension on his face. "Hey, something the matter?"

"No, it's nothing." Oscar lied, already anticipating the follow up question. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she asked, to which Oscar merely nodded his head. "Well, all right then. I'd better go back down and tend to our guests. I think one of them may have a fever."

Oscar merely nodded his head in acknowledgement as his Aunt descended the stairs, where he soon heard the sound of her voice fussing over their guests. He couldn't help but smile at his Aunt's caring nature. She tried to hide it of course behind a tough and stern exterior, but deep down she was one of the most gentle and loving people he knew. He was quick to re enter the guest room, quickly taking the duvet off the final bed and working the cover into the stuffing. Almost immediately, the voice began again.

" _You can't stay here forever."_

Oscar sighed angrily, opting to instead ignore the voice that claimed to belong to the former Headmaster of Beacon. Instead, the voice continued.

" _I understand that this is a lot for you to take in, truly I do."_ the voice reasoned, in turn ignoring Oscar's own attempts to ignore him. _"But if I, we, are to stop the storm that is coming you need to leave, sooner rather than later."_

"Do you have any idea what you're asking me?" Oscar angrily asked, his teeth gritted as he awaited the response. When none came, he took it as his cue to continue. "You're asking me to leave my entire life behind just on the whim that whatever the hell you are might be telling the truth. For all I know, you're just a voice that belongs to no one, so just shut up."

" _I've already told you, I am Professor Ozpin, and I can assure you that-"_

"I said shut up!" Oscar repeated, though this time far louder then he had meant.

"Oscar?!" his Aunt shouted from downstairs. "Is everything okay?!"

"Crap..." Oscar muttered quietly to himself before he himself replied. "Yeah, sorry. Everything is fine!"

He turned towards the bed and waited for the voice to speak, but there was no reply. He let out a breath in an attempt to calm himself, before he continued with making the bed. After applying the last of the sheets, he dusted his hands off, quickly turning around to stride back into his room and continue reading his comic books.

" _Barn, remember."_ the voice told him, causing Oscar to freeze in his tracks.

"Right, yeah." he muttered to himself, quickly changing course to head down the stairs.

As he entered the hallway, he caught a glimpse of their guests. Four of them looked to be about his age, wearing a mix of normal clothing and armour. The other was an adult, though he looked to be sick if his pasty and sweaty skin were anything to go by. He then eyed the elaborate weaponry they all possessed, and couldn't help but wonder if perhaps they were Huntsmen. He pushed the thought aside as he opened the door and took a step outside, taking in the cool mid-evening air. He then turned and headed to the barn, grabbing a pitchfork along the way.

"Quite an evening, no?"

Oscar spun around immediately, pitchfork raised to thrust, only to falter when he spotted what he assumed was the sixth guest. They were much more muscular than the others, and also a Faunus judging by the large moose antlers on his head. The clothing he wore was not that of a Huntsman, but of a teacher of some form. A survivor of Beacon he assumed, judging by the buckle on his belts.

"Uh, yeah...I suppose." Oscar responded, lowering his pitchfork into a less hostile position. He then held his hand out to shake the older man's hand. "My name's Oscar by the way."

"Pleased to meet you, Oscar." the Faunus replied, holding out his own hand which was protected by a thick leather gauntlet. "My name is-"

"Professor Ebonhorn of Beacon Academy." Oscar replied without even thinking, causing Ebonhorn to raise an eyebrow in shock. "You were deputy Headmaster to Professor Ozpin during his service as Headmaster of Beacon. However, after the attack on Beacon you were declared to be amongst the many who had died during the attack-" Oscar suddenly froze as he withdrew his hand and pressed both hands onto his temple, dropping the pitchfork. "Wait, wait, wait...How do I know all of that?"

"Are you all right?" Ebonhorn asked, one eyebrow raised in query.

"No...I'm fine just...tired, that's all." Oscar managed to say, shaking his head slowly as he knelt down to pick up the pitchfork, holding it close to his chest as if to guard himself. "Sorry for disturbing you sir."

He hurried away, taking large strides towards the barn. He'd just embarrassed himself in front of an honorary Professor of Beacon Academy! He just hoped things wouldn't get worse.

"Tell me, Oscar." he heard Ebonhorn call out behind him, causing him to let out a soft whine akin to a dog. "Do you know why Ebonhorn was reported as dead?"

"To fool the Twilight's Hammer into thinking he was dead so...he had...a smaller target on his back..." Oscar once again answered without thinking, dropping the pitchfork again as he stumbled backwards. "How do I know that?"

"Tell me, has anything else been troubling you recently?" Ebonhorn asked, taking a step towards the nervous teen. "You can trust me with anything."

" _He's not lying you know."_ the voice added, causing Oscar to close his eyes tight as he tried his best to ignore the voice.

Oscar felt like lying to the Professor, try and keep it to himself and let it sort itself out. He might just think he was crazy and a lunatic, like those Hammer guys who had been on the news recently. But what if there was something wrong with him? The guy was a professor, he might be able to help him and figure out what was wrong. Either way, like they say, you only know the answer after you take the plunge.

"I...I keep hearing things..." Oscar finally managed to say. In response, Ebonhorn raised an eyebrow before Oscar elaborated. "Well, not things per say, but one thing."

"What do you hear?" Ebonhorn asked quietly.

"I...I keep hearing a voice..." Oscar replied, a worried look on his face. "It keeps telling me that he's Professor Ozpin, but that can't be true. I don't know him at all. What's wrong with me? I'm not gonna be like those Hammer freaks am I?"

In response, Ebonhorn let out a soft sigh as a relieved smile spread across his face. He then placed a hand on Oscar's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze of reassurance.

"No child, you are not going mad." Ebonhorn replied, causing Oscar to let out a sigh of relief. "What is happening to you is best discussed in...private."

"Oh...okay..." Oscar said quietly, looking around before turning back towards Ebonhorn. "I...uh...I don't really have anywhere private to talk..."

"Well then we can talk here." Ebonhorn responded quietly. "Just make sure to keep your voice down."

"Right..." Oscar replied, lowering himself onto the floor, Ebonhorn doing likewise. "So...what's wrong with me?"

"This...is going to sound ridiculous." Ebonhorn started, nervously rubbing the back of his head before speaking again. "The voice you are hearing in your head, it DOES belong to Ozpin. And the reason you're hearing his voice is because his spirit has chosen you as it's host."

"WHAT?!" Oscar shouted, causing some birds who had been perched on the roof of the barn to suddenly fly away in panic as he forced down a nervous laugh. "Right, sorry...forgot to be quiet...But still, what?!"

"I understand that this sounds mad." Ebonhorn defended, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"You think?!" Oscar hissed back quietly. "And I thought I was the crazy one..."

"Let me put it to you this way." Ebonhorn said, ignoring the jibe. "Have you heard the story of the Four Maidens?"

"Yeah, of course I have. Everyone has." Oscar replied, folding his arms over his chest. "Why?"

"Then you know of the one called 'the Wizard', correct?" Ebonhorn added, one brow raised quizzically.

"Well, yeah, of course..." Oscar began before trailing off, lost in a world of his own before shaking his head vigorously. "What does this have to do with the voice inside my head?"

"Do you know the last tale to feature the Wizard?" Ebonhorn further pressed.

"I...I think so-...yeah, I do." Oscar stuttered, massaging his temple before continuing. "Something about how he found a baby Dragon and took care of it before he died. What does that have to do with my condition again? I don't think you've mentioned it."

"Do you remember what happened AFTER the Wizard died?"

"...The Dragon took a nap?...Had something to eat?" Oscar sheepishly asked, a confused frown on his face as he shrugged his shoulders.

"When the Wizard died, his soul departed his body and sought after a new vessel." Ebonhorn answered, before holding a hand out to Oscar. "And you Oscar, are the next vessel."

"Wait a second, are you saying that I've been chosen by the spirit of the Wizard to be his next vessel?" Oscar asked, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Precisely."

There was a sudden and deafening silence after Ebonhorn's answer. Oscar's face was a maelstrom of emotions during this time, the most prominent being confusion. He then finally turned to face Ebonhorn, a look of realisation on his face.

That was when he started laughing.

Ebonhorn frowned as Oscar continued to laugh, nearly falling onto his back as he tried to stifle his laughter. Eventually, he stopped laughing, his eyes wet with tears as he turned to look at Ebonhorn, the large grin on his face quickly disappearing when he saw the frown the Professor had.

"Come on Ebonhorn, you really expect me to take you seriously?" Oscar asked, his brow raised as he grinned at the Faunus.

"I can prove it to you." Ebonhorn responded as he stood up and walked towards the fields to their left.

"Really?" Oscar asked as he too got up and turned. "How?"

Without another word there was a sudden flash that blinded Oscar, causing him to shield his eyes as he winced slightly in protest. When he turned around to face Ebonhorn, he let out a surprised yelp as he fell backwards, seeing in front of him not a Faunus, but a large Black Dragon, its fiery eyes nearly reminiscent to those of Ebonhorn's.

"Holy crap!" Oscar stammered as he struggled to stand up, his eyes wide with fear as the Dragon approached him.

Then almost as suddenly as it happened, the Dragon changed back into the familiar form of Ebonhorn, a smug grin on his face as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Now do you believe me?" Ebonhorn asked, awaiting Oscar's response with the same smug look on his face.

"It's true..." Oscar murmured, a defeated look on his face. "All of it...isn't it?"

"As they say: stories are just history that has been forgotten." Ebonhorn replied, the smug grin exchanged for a more sympathetic one as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't seem particularly happy to hear this news."

"To be honest with you, no." Oscar sighed, leaning against the wall of the house before sliding down. "I know that this should be every boys dream, right? Wake up one day normal, next thing you find out that you have near God like powers."

"But?..." Ebonhorn questioned, kneeling down so he was eye to eye with Oscar.

"But we aren't just talking about having the powers are we? I have another persons soul in my body, another mind!" Oscar explained, rubbing his head as a worried look overcame his face. "I mean, what if people get hurt because I didn't listen to their advice? Or worse, what if they force me to do something that I don't want to?"

"I understand that this is a difficult time and sadly, I don't have all the answers." Ebonhorn replied honestly, which served only to make Oscar feel worse. "But from what I have been told by him, only the knowledge and power survive the transfer."

"What does that mean?" Oscar asked, a confused look on his face.

"When the vessel accepts the Wizard, the Wizard transfers all his power and knowledge to the vessel." Ebonhorn explained, waiting a second for it to sink in before continuing. "When this happens, the energy used to make this transfer is the very soul itself. The Wizard being the infinitely more powerful of the two uses his soul as the fuel and when the transfer is complete, what is left simply fades out of existence."

"Is...is that true?" Oscar asked, more to the voice in his head than to Ebonhorn.

" _Yes, it is."_ Ozpin replied. _"When I complete the transfer, you will have the knowledge of hundreds of generations. All of that, and you will be free from my ramblings."_

"But won't that kill you?" Oscar asked, his voice mixed with a sense of anxiety.

" _I was long dead before I linked with you Oscar."_ Ozpin responded, his voice soothing. _"If anything, you would be doing me a favour."_

Oscar sat still for what felt like a century. On the one hand, he still felt wrong about doing it. He still felt like what he was going to do was practically murder someone, spirit or not. But on the other, he knew he was right. If he accepted the gifts, he would be putting Ozpin to rest at last, a mercy kill.

"I...I need to think on this." Oscar finally said, earning a respectful nod from Ebonhorn.

"I understand." Ebonhorn replied, standing up and lending Oscar a hand, which he took.

" _As do I."_ Ozpin added, causing Oscar to let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank you, both of you."

Before either one could return the gesture in kind, the door swung open with a loud clatter, Oscar's Aunt standing there with a panicked look on her face.

"Oscar! Come inside now, both of you!" his Aunt ordered, her eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked, moving forward to his Aunt.

"Is it my friend?" Ebonhorn questioned, to which Oscar's Aunt turned to him with a worried look on her face.

"Yes, something is wrong with him."

Neither Oscar or Ebonhorn needed another word as both rushed inside to the main hallway. Already RNJR were crowded around Qrow, his skin pasty white and clammy and his breathing haggard. Oscar nearly froze on the spot at the sight whilst Ebonhorn rushed past him, placing a hand on his friends forehead.

"He's burning up!" Ebonhorn warned, to which their host nodded before turning to Oscar.

"Oscar, get some water and a damp towel." she ordered, to which Oscar nodded and left the room, coming back later with a dampened towel and a glass of water. "When did this start? I need to know how long he's been like this."

"It just started this morning." Jaune replied, taking a step forward as he spoke. "Last night he was fine, but this morning he seemed weak."

"Thought so, probably been bitten by something." Oscar's Aunt replied, taking the damp cloth and pressing it gently across his forehead.

"You mean...venom?" Ren asked almost incredulously.

Before their host could respond, Qrow's eyes suddenly bulged open as he leaned over the edge of the couch and threw up, his vomit tinted a deep red and black.

"I'll go get a bucket..." Nora suggested, holding her nose as she began to turn.

"It's okay, I can go get one." Oscar responded, quickly leaving the room to grab a bucket, leaving Nora scowling on the spot.

"That's...that's good, right?" Ruby asked, her voice quiet as she watched Ebonhorn wipe away some of the vomit around his mouth with a tissue. "His body is trying to flush the venom or whatever out right?"

"Only if he swallowed it." Ren corrected, watching as Ruby's face fell immediately. "If it was injected into his body as most venom is, it's already racing through his blood system. If anything vomiting will probably do nothing but make it worse."

"What's that on his arm?" Oscar asked as he came back into the room, a bucket in hand.

"He got cut on his arm and stomach a while back." Jaune replied, before he froze on the spot. "About yesterday..."

Without even asking, Oscar's Aunt began to remove the dressing, only to recoil and gag in horror at the sight. The cut along his arm was nearly pitch black, with dark lines twisting off of it with blistering sores also lining the wound.

"Wha- how?" Nora stammered, staggering back slightly in order to escape the smell.

"Wait a second..." Ruby managed to say, thinking back to the night with the assassin. And then she recalled the strange shimmer the blade seemed to have, and how it seemed whatever oil was used to treat the blade seemed to drip off. "Oh god...this-...this is my fault."

"What are you talking about Ruby?" Jaune asked, his brow raised questioningly.

"The assassin! Her blades were covered in something." Ruby explained, turning to face Jaune as he began to put two and two together. "I thought it was maybe the moonlight catching on the blade, or some sort of oil but it must have been-"

"Poison." Jaune finished, Ruby nodding sadly in response.

"Well if that's the case, then I don't know what to do." Oscar's Aunt solemnly informed, a frown on her face as Ruby turned to look at her. "I'm sorry."

"Aunt, there is one thing we could maybe try..." Oscar said quietly, nodding to the window as he spoke.

"Oscar, it's only a myth. An old story, nothing more." his Aunt replied, a sympathetic look on her face.

"Well you know what they say about old stories." Oscar replied, turning to face Ebonhorn. "They're just history that's been forgotten."

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked, her voice quiet as if she was afraid she'd miss something if she spoke. Their host turned to her nephew, who gave a nod before she sighed in defeat, rubbing her eyes before she spoke.

"There's an old legend that somewhere in the forest were these pools." she began, turning to face Oscar who simply nodded for her to continue. "They were supposedly blessed by nature and the natives began to call them 'Moonwells'. It was said anyone who drank from their waters was instantly healed of any ailment that had befallen them."

"Really?" Ruby asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"If they exist." Oscar's Aunt replied, a doubtful look on her face.

"Please, if there's even the slightest chance that something out there might help Qrow, we're taking it!" Ruby argued, her eyes watering with barely contained tears.

"I thought you hated him Ruby." Jaune whispered lightly.

"He's family Jaune." Ruby responded. "I may hate him, but that doesn't mean I want him to die."

"Ruby, you're barely in any shape to go yourself." Jaune reasoned, grabbing Ruby by the shoulders and holding her. "You're still recovering from your gunshot wound, you could rip it open again by going out there."

"If it means that Qrow will live, then I'll take the risk." Ruby rebuked, a defiant glare in her eyes.

"But I won't." Jaune stated, before sighing loudly. "So I'll go instead."

"Jaune, you can't go by yourself, you'll get lost without a map." Ren argued, to which Jaune turned to face him. "I'll go with you, help lighten the load and guide us."

"And if Ren is going, I'm going as well." Nora added, standing up briskly and slapping Ren on the back hard, causing him to cough slightly in protest.

"If you're dead set on doing this, I suppose we could lend a horse for you to use..." Oscar's Aunt sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I'll go saddle one up!" Oscar suggested, quickly rushing out the door before anyone could protest, followed immediately by his Aunt, leaving only RNJR, Ebonhorn and the wounded Qrow in the room.

"We'll stay here and await your return." Ebonhorn said, gesturing to both himself and Ruby.

"All right then, and after that?" Jaune asked, turning to face Ruby. In response, the red hooded Huntress turned to face the unconscious Qrow, whose breathing had become steady, but not exactly better.

"Then we go home. All of us."

 **00000000**

 **Bet you all saw that coming, didn't you? Well as usual, feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcome. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your review. Next update July 15th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	10. Spanner's In The Works

**Another day, another chapter. I would usually do review responses here but there were no reviews for the last time, so instead we'll get right into this. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 10- Spanner's In The Works**

Jaune and his team continued to make their way through the forest's of Animus slowly, the wounded Qrow sat sloppily on the back of the old Mare Blanchy, who had been given to them by Oscar as a means to transport the dying Huntsman. They had set off nearly five days ago in search of this so called 'Moonwell', and now Jaune was becoming more and more convinced that this whole trip was a waste of time. They'd been attacked by leeches, Grimm, weird Hyena like creatures that liked to growl 'Fresh Meat', and even the trees tried to hamper their way. The last night, he woke up to find a vine trying to coil around his waist and saw a snake he was certain was venomous try and sneak into Nora's backpack.

Seriously, it was like they were carrying a bad luck magnet or something.

"I'm so bored!" Nora announced dramatically, slumping her head forward whilst pouting.

"Yeah, you and me both..." Jaune murmured back quietly, before turning to Ren who held Blanchy's reins in order to guide her. "Any idea how much farther we have to go?"

"Unfortunately no." Ren quickly replied, doing his best to keep his eyes on the dirt trail they had been following. "I've never been this far south before. This is all new terrain for all of us."

"How much further do we go before we turn back Ren?" Nora asked, looking up as she did. "I'm not sure but I'm pretty certain it's getting dark."

Jaune also looked up, only to be greeted by a canvas of leaves and branches, causing the forest to light up with a pleasant forest green colouration. He could barely see the sky, but from what little snippets he could, he was certain that dusk was fast approaching and the moon was becoming clearer and clearer. As he contemplated making the suggestion that they search for the Moonwell one last time, he was certain he could hear it.

A faint chiming sound coming from somewhere off the road.

He stopped, everyone else doing likewise as they looked at Jaune in confusion, until they too heard it. Looking at one another, they followed the noise through the brushes, sometimes being forced to cut some down so either they or Blanchy could get through the undergrowth. Then, as they stumbled forward, they saw it.

Before them in a large circular clearing, was a stone basin filled to the brim with water that seemed to glow a near cyan blue. Three wooden structures surrounded the basin, two of them nearly identical and shaped almost like totems, whilst the centre structure was shaped like an archway, a crescent moon shape on top of it. Perhaps the greatest concern for Jaune though were the multiple items that surrounded the well. There were many lit candles and incense offerings, as well as multiple dream-catchers laden with feathers and claws, as well as many other stone idols either in the shape of a crescent moon or in the shape of animals, most notably cats and owls.

"Do you think this is it?" Nora asked, her voice nearly a whisper.

"I guess so..." Jaune replied, looking at the many moon idols that surrounded the structure. As Jaune dropped to a knee and began to unbuckle his backpack, Ren placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Jaune to pause in what he was doing as he turned to face him.

"Be careful Jaune. Try not to disturb the offerings." Ren warned, looking at the many idols that surrounded the well. "This place is obviously sacred to someone, and I'd prefer it if we didn't anger them."

"Relax Ren, no one else is here." Nora retorted, kicking some of the grass up in the air.

"Then why do I get the feeling we're being watched..." Ren responded quietly as he turned to look around, trying to see if he could spot their invisible observers.

Without another word, Jaune continued to rummage in his backpack until at last he he managed to take the small wooden cup out of the bag he had been carrying. Then he took the reins out of Ren's hand, guiding Old Blanchy to the Moonwell, Qrow groaning slightly. As Jaune got closer, he could feel that the well was radiating more than just light. As he approached, he felt calmer and softer, as if all his troubles were removed piece by piece. For those brief moments he truly felt like he was at peace for the first time in months. And then, as he submerged the cup into the waters, it was shattered.

A sudden groaning and roaring bellowed throughout the clearing, the trees shaking violently as if a great storm was blowing. Panicked by the sudden shift of atmosphere, Blanchy neighed loudly in protest as she reared upwards, kicking her forelegs out as Qrow fell back with a thud. Jaune tried to calm the stead, only to receive a hoof to his chest. His armour protected him from any serious damage, but it was enough to send him flying back, knocking over the many offerings and idols. With a shrill neigh, Blanchy bolted back into the forest, her distant cries becoming fainter and fainter with each passing second.

"Well that's done it." Jaune grunted as he began to rise, only to freeze when he heard the deep rumbling groaning all around them. The tree's were now swaying wildly now, leaves and vines falling limp from the branches. It was then he turned around to see the scattered idols, many of them irreversibly damaged. "Uh oh."

It was then that vines began to lash out from all directions, Jaune ducking low as he hugged the ground, the wind breaking as the vines passed harmlessly over him. His eyes were closed shut tightly, he could hear the grunts of panic from Ren and Nora as they tried to fight back. Then, it was silent. Slowly he opened his eyes, looking up to see only he and the unconscious Qrow were there. As he opened his mouth to call out for his friends, he heard panicked mumbling. He stepped forward, trying to discern the location of the noise, drawing _Crocea Mors_ in its advanced form and holding the blade out in front of him.

"Ren? Nora? Are you there?" Jaune called out again, only to freeze when he heard the mumbling directly above him.

Slowly looking up, he nearly dropped his sword as he looked at the sight above him. Both Nora and Ren were wrapped nearly head to toe in vines, both struggling to escape the tight green cords. Both tried to shout warnings to Jaune, but the vines were wrapped tightly around their mouths, effectively gagging them.

"Don't worry guys! I'll cut you down!" Jaune shouted as he tried his best to follow the location of the vines, only to end up looking at a jumbled mess.

It was then that Nora managed to manoeuvre her head just enough for the vine around her mouth to slip and tighten instead around her chin. "Jaune! Behind you!"

It was then that Jaune could hear the sound of something whipping behind him, turning around to see a vine lashing out to wrap around his waist. Without so much as thinking, Jaune slashed out at the vine, nearly severing the vine in two, green liquid spluttering out in all directions. Jaune winced as the vine seemed to let out a shrill whine as it squirmed mid air before recoiling upwards, the end of the vine finally falling off with a thud and coiling in on itself.

"Thanks Nora." Jaune replied, looking up to see Nora still trying to remove the bindings around her from.

"No, not the plant! Them!" Nora shouted back down, causing Jaune to let out a confused grunt before he turned around fully and froze.

Before him were three human looking figures, taller and more muscular then him. Two of them were adorned head to toe in grey blue armour with black rimming on the joints, with cyan gems on the belt buckle and shoulder guards. Their helmets obscured their faces save for their eyes, which seemed to emit a silver glow, and a pair of long pointed lilac ears sprouted out of their helms. Attached to their left arm was a simple but elegant looking shield with a moon motif, and buckled to their side was a long curved sword.

Standing between the two was another, though instead of armour he wore flowing brown lamellar robes made of leather with what appeared to be bone and bark stitched into it. Their shoulder guards were not leather or plate, but instead made from bark and fern, antler like twigs sticking out of them from odd angles. Upon his lilac head were a pair of antlers, and Jaune was having a hard time discerning whether they were attached via a headband or were actually sprouting out of his forehead. Long flowing green hair draped down his head and down his back, and his golden eyes bore holes into Jaune.

The trio of new intruders simply stared back and forth between Jaune and the bound Ren and Nora, until one of the guardsmen turned towards the Moonwell, where he visibly tensed at the sight of the broken idols. He turned back to Jaune, and his passive stance immediately became more aggressive as he drew his blade, his shield held out in defence.

" _Bandu Thoribas!"_ he hissed, his voice smooth and elegant despite the unfamiliarity of the words.

It was then that the fighter charged, Jaune barely having any time to bring _Crocea Mors_ to his defence when they swung their sword out at Jaune, the twin metals clashing and rebounding off of one another, staggering Jaune back as he dodged a quick uppercut. Jaune then swung down with his blade, only for the warrior to sidestep the swing.

The warrior thrust forward with Jaune parrying the blow before swinging upwards with his blade, the warrior bringing his shield up to deflect the strike as he spun around clockwise with his weapon. Jaune staggered back and nearly tripped over as he regained his bearings, the warrior walking calmly towards him with blade raised to kill him. With no regard to his own safety, Jaune thrust forward with his sword, the warrior stopping in his tracks as he held his shield up to defend himself, before he thrust out with the tip of his blade, grazing his side. Jaune let out a hiss of pain as he staggered back, clutching his now bleeding side with his free hand as his opponent opponent twirled his blade in his hand.

"You can do it Jaune!" Nora shouted from above, still struggling to break free. "Break his legs!"

Before Nora could shout any more encouragement to Jaune, the one in the robes raised his hand, a faint green aura glowing around it as another vine wrapped around her mouth, silencing her once more. Upon seeing this, Jaune turned back to his opponent, a determined scowl on his face as he readied himself once more.

This time he charged first, swinging his blade clockwise at his opponents midsection, the warrior wasting no time as he easily ducked beneath the blow. He then swung out again in the opposite direction, the warrior forced onto his back in order to dodge the swing. It was then when they rose up that Jaune kicked out with their leg, striking them on the chin and knocking them to the ground once more. Before his opponent could rise up, he planted his foot on their sword arm and pointed the tip of _Crocea Mors_ at their neck, the warrior letting out a growl of displeasure at the gesture.

"Release my friends now, or else I'll kill him!" Jaune ordered, glaring daggers at the other guardsman and the robed figure.

The second guardsman made to draw his sword, only for the one in robes to hold his hand up, signalling for him to stop. It was then that he thrust both hands forward, illuminated in a lunar glow, towards Jaune. All Jaune could see was a blinding white light and all he could feel was a searing pain scarring his whole body as he toppled backwards slightly, his armour and clothing smoking. But Jaune wasn't finished, not whilst his friends were still in danger. With a defiant yell he charged forward, leaving a trail of smoke in his wake. He ignored the robed figure holding his hands close to his chest as he began to whisper words of power, and he ignored the glowing orb of lunar energy that formed between his hands.

The figure then thrust his hands forward again, this time a bolt of energy spiralling towards Jaune and blasting him in the chest. He was thrown back by the blow, _Crocea Mors_ flying from his grip as he landed on the ground with a thud. His vision started to blur as he lost consciousness almost immediately. The last thing he remembered seeing and feeling were vines wrapping around his body before he drifted into unconsciousness.

 **00000000**

Ruby looked out towards the forest, sat upon the wooden fencing of one of the fields, rocking back and forth on the spot. Jaune and his group had been gone for nearly five days now, and she was beginning to grow worried. What surprised her more though was that she wasn't just feeling worried for Jaune, Ren and Nora, but also her uncle. The uncle she hated. At least that's what she told herself at the time. She was still angry with him for lying to her, but she still didn't want him to die thinking that she would be glad he was dead. As she contemplated on her situation, she heard rustling behind her and turned, only to breath a sigh of relief to see it was only Oscar.

"Hey Ruby, how are you feeling?" Oscar asked, walking towards the spot next to her and taking a seat.

"I'm fine, sort of." Ruby replied, turning back towards the forest. "I'm just worried, that's all."

"They'll be fine, you'll see." Oscar reassured, turning to look at the forest again. As Oscar continued to look at the forest, Ruby decided now would be the perfect time to ask a question that had been bugging her for the last two days.

"So is Ozpin talking to you all the time or what?"

"What?!" Oscar spluttered in panic, his eyes wide with shock. "How-...how did you-"

"Relax, Ebonhorn told me." Ruby snickered as she saw the panicked look on Oscars face disappear. "So seriously, does he talk all the time or does he only talk to give exposition or something."

"He only talks to me when he needs to..." Oscar replied, laughing slightly as he considered Ruby's question. "So I guess yeah, only to give exposition."

"I knew it!" Ruby shouted, nearly falling off the fence with a sudden yell, quickly stabilising herself before she embarrassed herself further. Oscar chuckled in response to Ruby's actions before looking around, a confused look on his face.

"Say, where's Ebonhorn?" Oscar finally asked, looking around for the disguised Dragon.

"He left about an hour ago, said something didn't feel right and that he was going to check it out." Ruby quickly replied, turning towards the moon in the sky. "He said that he might not be back until dawn, so I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Oscar only nodded in response, looking out towards the forest once more. In the distance a swarm of bats flew out of the trees into the night sky, their shrill cries carrying out in the soft breeze. Up ahead in the foremost tree's, an owl hooted as it flew towards movement in the long grass, emerging seconds later with a mouse in its talons.

"It's starting to get late, we should get going back to the house." Oscar suggested, Ruby nodding her head in agreement. And it was then as Ruby hopped off the fence that she gained a sudden sense of foreboding.

"Get down!" was all Ruby shouted as she grabbed Oscar by his collar and barrelled forward.

Almost immediately the fencing exploded into purple flames, the fire scorching their skin even from a distance. Looking up she saw the perpetrator, a large and bulky Twilight Grimm with indigo scales, far larger than the one the assassin had used as a mount. The Twilight Grimm roared as it charged another blast in its maw, spitting it out seconds later. Grabbing hold of Oscar's collar again, she darted away, the flames from the blast licking against her cloak.

"Quick! To the trees!" Ruby shouted, shoving Oscar towards the tree line as the Twilight Grimm circled again overhead.

"Wait!" Oscar yelled in protest as he pulled away from Ruby's grip. "I have to save my Aunt!"

"Oscar no!" Ruby shouted as Oscar began to run towards the house, the Twilight Grimm in the sky now focusing their attention on the lone Oscar.

Ruby ran after him, only to wince in pain as she clutched her stomach. Her wound was still healing, and if she pushed herself too much she could risk tearing it open again. Still she pressed on, hoping to stop Oscar before the Twilight Grimm could do anything to harm him. And it was then that a second roar echoed around them. At first Ruby looked up, her heart filled with hope as she saw a black shape make its way towards them. But as the shape came closer, she realised with dread that it was not Ebonhorn returning to them in the nick of time, but a second Twilight Grimm, this one with violet scales and a more feminine build.

The second Twilight Grimm fired a blast of twilight energy of its own, hitting the barn and causing it to burn up in seconds. The doors to the house suddenly burst open as Oscar's Aunt charged out with an old rifle in her hands as she saw the Twilight Grimm. Both soon spotted her soon afterwards, and it was then that Oscar froze in his tracks.

The female Twilight Grimm landed in front of her, where Ruby could see it fully in the light. It was far larger than the other Twilight Grimm, and also much different in appearance, like it was older and more mature. Three bone like spikes sprouted from the corner of her jaws, with seven spines running along the base of her skull and onto her elongated neck. A pair of large horns sprouted from the back of her skull and twirled upwards towards one another at the tips. Most notably on the skull were the tooth like spines that curved out from the upper jaw, giving her a more fearsome appearance. So enthralled by the shear majesty of the Grimm, she failed to notice the second Twilight Grimm land behind Oscar's Aunt.

Time seemed to slow down for Oscar as he watched his Aunt fire her rifle at the female Twilight Grimm, who flinched slightly as the bullet rebounded off her skull, causing her to hiss in anger. Before she could fire another shot, the male Twilight Grimm backhanded her in the back, the wet sound of bone breaking echoing loudly as his Aunt screamed out in pain. The female Twilight Grimm then clamped its jaws around his Aunt's waist, causing her screams to muffle as the male grabbed hold of her legs in his own jaws. There was some twitching between the two as they began to pull back before there was a wet tearing sound. Oscar collapsed on his knees as he watched the two Twilight Grimm feast on the two halves of his Aunt, his hands curling into fists as he made ready to charge at the two.

"Oscar stop!" Ruby warned as she finally caught up to Oscar, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back, despite his attempts to break free.

"Let me go!" Oscar demanded, Ruby adamantly holding onto his shoulders despite her lithe frame.

There arguing soon caught the attention of the two Twilight Grimm, who hissed sadistically as they began to prowl towards Ruby and Oscar, who both froze on the spot, the fire inside Oscar almost instantly dying down. Then a third roar echoed loudly as a blast of magma crashed in front of the Twilight Grimm, causing them both to recoil in shock as all looked up. Ruby smiled in relief at the sight of Ebonhorn flying overhead, already circling around to deliver another strike. And it was then that the Twilight Grimm did something that Ruby did not expect.

"Deal with the traitor, Valiona! I will slaughter these insects in our Father's name!" the male Twilight Grimm boomed, his voice grating and deep.

"I will slay the traitor not because you bid it, _brother_ , but because I desire to do so!" the female Twilight Grimm, Valiona, hissed, launching herself into the air so she could do combat with the Black Dragon.

"Did-...did those things just talk?!" Oscar managed to say as the male Twilight Grimm began to make its way towards them, wading through the fire without so much as a sign of displeasure.

"Sounds like it." Ruby replied as she turned to run, Oscar and the Twilight Grimm following close behind.

Ruby didn't know whether she wanted to look up towards the aerial battle or not. All she could hear was flames clashing with one another and shrieks of pain from both fighters. As she made her way towards the fencing, a blast of twilight energy sent it up in flames, the shock wave from the blast sending her flying backwards towards Oscar, knocking them both to the ground in a heap. A dark chuckle came from behind as the male Twilight Grimm stalked towards them, its mouth open in an attempt to mimic a smile.

"Know that you fools die by the hands of Theralion, favoured son of Deathwing!" the Twilight Grimm, now known to them as Theralion, boasted, his mouth already filling with twilight fire.

And it was then that the shrill cry of a death rattle echoed above them as something large fell from the sky, landing next to them in a cloud of dust and smoke. As the dust settled, Ruby could make out the violet scales of a Twilight Grimm, already the skin melting away to reveal only a rancid carcass. Ebonhorn then landed, his body covered in cuts and bruises as he let out a low growl, standing between Theralion and them.

"Leave, now! Or suffer the fate of your sister!" Ebonhorn warned, his teeth bared, though Theralion was unhinged.

"I think not! You truly believe that I'll let you stand between me and the girl and host?!" Theralion bellowed, causing all three of them to look at the Twilight Grimm in shock. Upon noticing their expression, the Twilight Grimm laughed dramatically at the trio as a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "Yes, we know about the Wizards host Ebonhorn, and we know about you too. Father would be so disappointed in you for siding with them!"

"He is my Father no more!" Ebonhorn hissed, his eyes narrowed in rage, but Theralion continued regardless.

"As a spawn of my Father, I will give you this one chance to leave these two wretches so I may kill them." Theralion offered, snaking his head so he was staring directly at both Ruby and Oscar. "The girl needs to die and the boy...well, what I'll do to him would be a mercy compared to what the Wizards soul will..."

"What do you mean?" both Ebonhorn and Oscar demanded, the former planting a foot forward to block Theralion's line of sight.

"He didn't tell you? Either of you?" Theralion asked, somewhat confused before he let out a sinister chuckle as he took a brave step forward. "When the Wizard merges with the soul of another, he doesn't gift the host with his powers and knowledge, he destroys them. He offers them the illusion of power, when he simply erases them from existence."

"You're lying!" Ebonhorn growled, his nostrils flaring in anger.

"Don't believe me?" Theralion responded, before turning towards Oscar. "Ask him yourself."

Ebonhorn himself turned towards Oscar, who himself look just as shocked at the revelation. Oscar pressed a hand to his temple as if he were trying to listen to something inside his head, his eyes closed shut. But when he opened them, there was a forlorn look on his face as he turned towards Ebonhorn and said four words that none of them wanted to hear.

"He's telling the truth."

Ebonhorn's face fell immediately, his eyes filled not with anger, but with betrayal. As his guard began to drop, Theralion took another step forward until he was directly next to Ebonhorn, the Black Dragon not even flinching at the closeness of the hybrid.

"He's lied to you, all this time." Theralion whispered to the heartbroken Dragon. "Not a very good father figure, is he?"

Ebonhorn once again did not answer, prompting Theralion to take another step forward.

"It's not too late to return to the fold. Kill him Ebonhorn, take your revenge on him. Then together, we shall fly back to your true Father with the girl in our talons. I will vouch for your loyalty myself, and Father will forgive you for certain." Theralion continued to whisper, trying to tempt Ebonhorn, though the Black Dragon remained silent.

Then with a sudden speed he pounced on Theralion's neck, causing the Twilight Grimm to shriek in panic and pain as the razor sharp teeth pierced his flesh. He tried his best to dislodge the Black Dragon, only for Ebonhorn's forelegs to latch onto the base of his skull and shoulders where he twisted it at an odd angle. Instantly Theralion stopped twitching and fell lifeless to the ground, the light in his eyes dying out as his scales melted away, revealing the rotting corpse of a Dragon.

There was an uncomfortable silence for what felt like a decade until Ebonhorn turned to face Oscar and Ruby, a look of anger and sorrow in his eyes.

"We are done here." was all he said as he leapt upwards, flying off into the night sky, leaving both Ruby and Oscar alone once again.

 **00000000**

 **Bet you all saw that coming! Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me personally if you feel more comfortable doing that. Next update will be July 29th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	11. Into The Wild

**Another day, another chapter. First up, review response time. Guest; I wanted to make Ruby's 'hatred' for Qrow believable. When you find out that someone has been lying to you for nearly your entire life over a pretty big thing, you obviously hate them at first. But eventually… And as for the new third party, you'll find out who they are in the coming chapters and no, Ebonhorn did not turn traitor in the sense that he's switched sides, but he's no longer on Ozpin's side. Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter 11- Into The Wild**

The Sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon when Ruby woke up, turning the morning blue sky a shade of pink. She looked at her surroundings, hoping that the events of last night were nothing but a dream, but when she saw the blackened skeletal frame of the barn and the rotting corpses of the Twilight Grimm, she realised that with a heavy heart, it was all real. Oscar's life had literally been burned to the ground, and Ebonhorn had abandoned them to their fates. She believed that Ebonhorn probably did not mean to leave them both to chance, but he was so angered by Ozpin lying to him for all these years. It made her anger at Uncle Qrow look minimal in comparison.

She soon sat up before rising to make way to the house, slowly walking past the cadaver of the Twilight Grimm. She at first found it strange that it had not fully disintegrated as all Grimm do when they die, but then she recalled that the Twilight Grimm weren't real Grimm. They were a hybrid race, a combination of Grimm and Dragon. And all that was left now was the Dragon, already a murder of crows piled high on top of the carcass and stripping giblets of flesh free from the body.

As she approached the house, she spotted Oscar knelt before a mound of disturbed soil, his arms and clothing covered in soil and blood, none of which were his own. A spade was embedded in the ground next to him and in his hands he held a wooden cross. Carefully he placed the cross at the head of the mound, forcing it into the ground with a swift thrust. When he was confident that the cross would not fall, he let his arms drop either side of his body and began to stand up, picking up the spade as he did. He turned around to carry on with whatever business he could when he spotted Ruby, and he froze in his tracks.

"Hey." was all he said as he looked at Ruby, large bags under his eyes.

"Hey." Ruby softly replied, a hand subconsciously moving to her wounded stomach. "Oscar. I just want you to know that I'm so-"

"Don't say it." Oscar interrupted, though he didn't sound bitter or angry. Only tired. "It's not your fault what happened. You didn't know they would come."

"I should have done though." Ruby retorted, her gaze drifting towards the fresh grave. "If I had just left a day earlier, or we'd just not stopped here-"

"Then your Uncle would have died on the road." Oscar once again interrupted. "Besides, you not being here doesn't mean they would have ignored the farm. At least this way she died for something."

Ruby opened her mouth to continue arguing, but thought better of it. Oscar let out a relieved sigh before he continued on with his march, only to stop as the burnt out frame of the barn came into view.

"What will you do now?" Ruby asked, tilting her head to look at Oscar. At first the farm boy did not reply, before turning to face Ruby with a small frown.

"Honestly, I don't know." Oscar admitted, turning back to look at the house. "I doubt I'd be able to live here again after last night. And I can't look after myself either."

"What about Ozpin?" Ruby questioned, knowing immediately that she was beginning to tread on thin ice, especially after last nights revelation.

"I...I haven't heard a word from him since last night. Complete radio silence which I guess I'm kinda glad for..." Oscar chuckled slightly at the last part before turning towards Ruby. "What about your Dragon friend?"

"I don't think he'll be helping us for a while, considering what he just learnt about Ozpin." Ruby replied, turning towards the direction Ebonhorn had flown after the confrontation last night.

"And your other friends?"

Ruby turned her attention towards the forest, which now seemed more imposing than ever. She was seriously worried about them now. They'd been gone for far too long for her liking, and horrifying thoughts flooded her mind as to what could have happened to them. She needed to know what happened to them.

"I'm going in to find them." Ruby finally replied, already marching before Oscar could say anything to stop her.

"Ruby, wait!" Oscar finally managed to say, quickly running up to Ruby's side when he realised she wouldn't stop. "I'm coming too."

That made Ruby freeze in her tracks, a shocked look on her face as she turned to face Oscar, who held the spade in his hands more like a weapon then a gardening tool.

"Oscar, I can't let you come with me." Ruby stated, though it did nothing to make him waver. "It will be dangerous, you could die in there. We could both die."

Once again, Oscar did not move, not even the slightest.

"You're dead set on this, aren't you?" Ruby asked, to which Oscar nodded, gripping the spade tighter. Eventually, Ruby let out a sigh, lowering her head slightly. "Fine, you can come."

Before Oscar could so much as react, Ruby continued her march, Oscar moving quickly behind her in an attempt to stay as close as possible to the red hooded Huntress. As soon as the pair entered the shadows of the trees, it was as if the forest began to open up, as if inviting them to dare its maze of trees and thorns.

They tried to stay to the path as best as possible, but every now and then a tree would intercept the dirt trail, as if trying to knock them off course. They did their best to stay as close to the path as possible, but eventually they lost their way, entering a jungle like maze. They didn't know how long they had been travelling, all sense of time losing its value the deeper they made it into the forest. And that was when it began to change.

When they had first entered, it looked vibrant, exotic and most importantly alive. But now the forest was beginning to change. Bark was turning pitch black, what little greenery grew was blood red, and the plant and animal life was becoming almost nightmarish to look at. It was as if the very forest was dying around them. And the more decrepit the forest looked, the more tired they became. It was as if the very air they breathed was thick and foul, causing them to become nauseas. Every so often Ruby thought she could see herself walking right next to her, and when she looked down at her feet they were going backwards, despite the fact they were very much walking forwards. At least that's what she thought.

And that was when they heard the cackling. Both froze on the spot as they tried to discern the source, Ruby noticing the cackle sounded almost like an animal.

"Please tell me you hear that..." Ruby whispered, turning to face Oscar for any visual confirmation.

"Unfortunately, yes." Oscar replied, to which he began to slowly move forward. Ruby followed closely when Oscar descended onto all fours, shuffling slowly through the dirt, ignoring the insects that clung onto his skin and clothing. Ruby followed suite until Oscar froze at the bank of a small slope shrouded by thorns and brambles. And that's when they saw them.

The creatures were ugly to look at for sure. They stood upright like Humans, but they had the features of a Hyena. Straps of leather and bone made up their armour, some of it animal hide and bone and others not. They all carried a large assortment of crude weapons from swords and axes to spears and scythes. There seemed to be many of them, maybe about forty but most likely many more. All of them seemed to be focused on one area, predominately clambering on top of one another to get at whatever was in the centre. Ruby didn't know what they were surrounding, but every so often she saw one lift their head, revealing a bloodied muzzle.

"What are those things?" Ruby asked, turning towards Oscar for any visible confirmation on what they were.

"Gnolls." Oscar replied, gulping quietly as he watched the feeding frenzy from afar. "They've been around for as long as I can remember. They used to ambush some of the caravans that travelled along the roads, but with the Twilight's Hammer and Bandits blocking the roads now I guess they've turned more inwards."

"Are...are they friendly?" Ruby asked, though she was confident she already knew the answer.

Rather than reply, Oscar merely pointed to one of the makeshift tents that were scattered around the area. It was made from the hides of different creatures, ranging many different colours, all stitched together with sinew. It didn't take Ruby long to spot what was once a Human face being one of the many patches.

"We should probably go." Ruby stated, earning a quick nod from Oscar in response.

As the two began to make their way around the camp, the Gnolls began to disperse, heading to their tents to either sleep or gnaw on bones. And as the Gnolls dispersed, they finally had a look at what they had been eating. On the ground in a bloody ditch was the bloodied skeleton of a horse, picked clean of any flesh. At first neither of them would have given the skeleton a second glance, until Oscar noticed the saddle that had been discarded carelessly nearby.

"Oh no..." Oscar murmured, causing Ruby to stop and turn to face him. "That's Blanchy's saddle...I'd recognise it anywhere."

"Wait...you don't think that these things-"

Before Ruby could ask further, there was a sudden commotion as the Gnolls began to pick themselves up off the floor. Without warning a small pack of Gnolls burst forth from the tree line, making their way towards the centre of the camp. There were several snarls and whines exchanged as the largest of the Gnoll pack, one carrying what appeared to be a savage looking machete, strode confidently forward, the other Gnolls milling around him as if he were the pack leader.

"Me starving..." one of the new comer Gnolls panted, his broken words made slightly more intimidating by the guttural growl that accompanied them.

"Eat then." the lead Gnoll growled back, his voice more intimidating due to its deeper pitch.

"Nothing to eat!" the Gnoll snarled back, followed by many more Gnolls snarling and cackling in agreement. "We had nothing but mouldy bones for three days!"

"Yes! Why we have no meat?!" a scrawny looking Gnoll added, his maw slavering as drool dripped down like a waterfall. It was then his eyes caught something at the back of the camp, something that made both Ruby and Oscar turn as well. "What about them? They're fresh!"

Ruby and Oscar continued to follow the Gnolls gaze until at last their eyes fell upon a small wooden cage, and inside shrouded by the darkness of the trees were four individuals.

"Oh my god..." Ruby murmured, turning to face Oscar with a look of panic in her eyes. "Do you think that's them?"

"Maybe...I don't know who else it could be..." Oscar replied, turning back towards the Gnoll pack.

"They are not for eating!" the lead Gnoll stated, some of the other larger Gnolls behind him stepping forward with weapons raised.

"I'm thinking this argument might boil over soon." Oscar stated watching as the tension between the Gnolls was quickly hitting its tipping point.

"Quick, whilst they're distracted." Ruby whispered, Oscar nodding as the two slowly began to make their way towards the unguarded cage. As they began to make their way, Ruby kept her ears open on the bickering of the Gnolls.

"What about legs?" a new voice asked, one more wet than the others. "They no need those. They look tasty..."

"Back scum!" the lead Gnoll barked, and the sound of something being pushed back roughly was heard, followed immediately by savage growling and snarling, as well as the clattering of weapons. "They go to Hogger! Alive and unspoilt!"

"Alive?!" the wet voice demanded. "Why alive?! Do they make good sport?!"

The statement was followed quickly by a taunting cackle, as well as many other animalistic noises.

"They have something, information! Hogger wants it for war!" the lead Gnoll rebuked, followed by many growls from both sides.

"What are they on about?" Ruby whispered, turning around to look at Oscar who merely shrugged.

"No idea, but I don't think we should stick around to-"

Oscar then let out a sudden yelp as the earth beneath his foot suddenly gave way, causing him to slip and fall directly into the Gnoll camp. Almost as soon as he began to get up he froze, the eyes of all the Gnolls trained directly at him.

"What about him?" one of the Gnolls asked, pointing his crude weapon at Oscar as he looked at the lead Gnoll.

Before any of them could answer, Ruby leapt down in front of Oscar, drawing _Crescent Rose_ out as she did, her feet parted in a battle stance. The Gnolls began to cackle and howl in excitement at the sight of the two Humans, the lead Gnoll licking his lips as he thrust his machete at the pair in a commanding way.

"Looks like meat's back on menu boys!" the Gnoll growled, followed immediately by savage roaring as the Gnolls charged forward as one, descending upon the pair at a rapid pace.

"Stay behind me!" Ruby ordered as she shifted her weapon into its Sniper configuration, firing a blast from _Crescent Rose_ , the round ploughing through a number of Gnolls, the Hyena like creatures slowing down considerably before picking up their pace again.

She fired round after round, dropping more of the Gnolls, but more simply came at her, and she was starting to run low on ammo. Shifting her weapon into its Scythe form, she threw it at the Gnolls at an angle, the weapon spinning clockwise in rapid fashion and severing the limbs at any Gnoll that came in range of its deadly blade. As it ploughed forward, Ruby dashed forward with her Semblance, grabbing the Scythe by the shaft and swinging it wide in a full arc, completely cutting a trio of the Gnolls in half. She then dashed around rapidly, cutting through the Gnolls or knocking them to the ground with her Scythe.

As Ruby began to run circles through the Gnolls, some had managed to break off from the main pack and now surrounded Oscar, who held only his spade to defend himself. One of them lunged forward and Oscar fell back with a yelp, the Gnoll letting out a humoured cackle at Oscars tumble. It then lunged forward, this time with its sword raised above its head to strike a blow, and in a swift moment of panic Oscar swung out with his spade, bashing the Gnoll in the jaw and sending it tumbling to the ground.

Two of the other Gnolls looked first at their downed comrade before looking at Oscar, snarls on their faces. The first lunged forward as the second moved behind. Thinking quickly, Oscar swung down on the first Gnolls head bringing it down with a clang, before turning towards the scuttling of feet and swung out at the second.

"I...I think I'm getting the hand of this..." Oscar murmured to himself as he looked at the now bloodied spade in his hand.

Yet as he swung at the sound of feet approaching, his face fell as he saw a Gnoll armed with an axe grab the spade by its shaft and hack at the wooden grip with its axe. Almost immediately he fell back, his grip on his spade going loose as the Gnoll tossed it to the side. As the Gnoll approached to deal a killing blow, Oscar held up his arm in a vain attempt to block the inevitable. That was when he felt the surge of power in his hand, and the sudden warm sensation travelling through his arm and into his palm. Without so much as a warning, an orb of fire shot out of his palm, blasting the Gnoll directly in the face, sending it flying several feet away with a sharp whine, its fur and skin irreparably burned.

"What the..." Oscar murmured, looking at his hand in confusion.

" _Don't be alarmed, I did that!"_ Ozpin's voice suddenly said, causing Oscar to look up in shock at the sound of the ghostly Headmasters sudden return. _"I'm lending you a sample of my power for a short time. Use it wisely."_

Before Oscar could even ask or demand for more information, he was set upon by more Gnolls. Without even thinking he held out his hands and more orbs of fire shot out, burning the Gnolls upon contact. As Oscar continued to blast at the Gnolls, Ruby paused mid fight as she clutched her chest. Her stomach wound was beginning to reopen due to all this running and fighting, and the Gnolls numbers were still to large. As she surveyed the Gnoll horde, she spotted Oscar blasting at the Gnolls with fire, much to her confusion. Before she could question it, a snarl to her right caused her to spin around, only for the wind to get knocked out of her as she was struck in the stomach by a heavy iron chain.

She fell back with a cry of pain, _Crescent Rose_ falling out of her hands as she attempted to stand, only for the Gnoll who had struck her to kick her back, sending her rolling towards the lead Gnoll, who held up his crude machete to her face. She heard Oscar call out for her, followed by a sudden grunt as he too was overcome by their numbers. She felt her hair being pulled back as the lead Gnoll held the machete up to her face, pressing the blade against her cheek and drawing blood.

"Squeal piggy..." the Gnoll taunted, licking its lips at the sight of the blood. "No one coming to save you..."

It was then that the twang of an arrow was heard followed by a soft thud. One of the Gnolls cried out in pain as it fell forward, a purple feathered arrow in his back. The Gnolls let out whines of panic as more and more Gnolls were slain by the arrows, coming from seemingly every direction. It was then that the chaos truly began. From the trees burst out great cats the size of cars, their coats different shades of grey and black with large sabre like fangs emerging from their mouths. The weirdest thing about them though was the purple armour they wore, as well as the armoured figures who rode the cats wielding sword and shield and bow and arrow.

It was complete chaos as the Gnolls tried in vain to fight off the ambush, but the numbers of the attackers were too great as many of the new individuals leapt off the cats and began to fight on foot. Using the distraction to her advantage, Ruby balled her hand into a fist and punched the lead Gnoll in the jaw, causing him to release his grip on her and stumble back, where he was lost immediately in the chaos. Grabbing _Crescent Rose_ , she stumbled towards where Oscar had been, sighing in relief when she saw him stumble forward in a complete panic.

"Who are these people? Are they friendlies?" Ruby asked, only to receive a puzzled grunt in return.

It was then that they heard the low cat like growl behind them, turning to see one of the armoured cats snarling at the pair, its teeth and paws covered in blood. As the cat strode forward, a yelp caused it to stop as a Gnoll burst out from the chaos armed with an axe, which it swung down at the cat, which swerved out of the way of the swing in the nick of time. Its attention now focused on the Gnoll, Ruby and Oscar quickly made their way to the borders of the camp, ducking and swerving out of the way of dead Gnolls and pouncing cats.

"Quickly! Through here!" Oscar shouted, pulling on Ruby's wrist as they finally made it to the relative safety of the trees.

Then they ran, trying their best to put as much distance between them and the massacre behind them, unaware of their silent pursuer…

 **00000000**

 **And that's that. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me personally or leave in your review. Next update will be August 12th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	12. Elothir

**Another day, another chapter. Let's get reviews out of the way first shall we? DragonBlitz85; hey, you got the reference! And exillion; well I'm sorry if this dissuades you from reading the rest of the story. I felt it made sense seeing as Ruby is the one with the Silver Eyes and if it was a minor character, well that'd just be boring. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 12- Elothir**

Ruby didn't know how long she and Oscar had been running from the massacre of the Gnoll's. She didn't know how much time had passed, she barely even registered that the forest had changed back into its beautiful vibrant form. She just kept running, even when every muscle in her body screamed for her to stop. Eventually, the pain in her stomach forced her to stop, and she fell to her knees, her breathing ragged and her limbs aching.

"Do you...do you think we...lost them?" Oscar managed to say, his own breathing just as bad as Ruby's.

"I...I think so..." Ruby responded, taking time to gaze at the surrounding foliage, grateful that it was once again green and flourishing once more. That section they had found the Gnoll's in was far too sinister for her liking. "Who were those people?"

"No idea..." Oscar replied, taking in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "Right now, I say we should be grateful we lost them."

"Right..." Ruby said, slumping down hard against the trunk of an old Willow tree, its leaves golden and orange signalling the coming of autumn. "Oscar?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you do the whole fireball thing earlier?"

At first Oscar didn't seem to register the question, almost as if it had flown over his head. Then, slowly but surely, his eyes began to widen as he finally recognised the implications of the question.

"Oh right, the fireball thing." Oscar finally said, rubbing the back of his head as he chuckled sheepishly. "Well, the thing is that Ozpin let me use some of his power to defend myself against the Gnoll's. Guess he's not too keen on me dying whilst he's still inside."

"But wouldn't that mean that he'd be able to leave your body and latch onto another soul?" Ruby asked, one eyebrow raised inquisitively. "One who doesn't know they'll die if they accept his deal?"

"I'm not so sure." Oscar responded quietly. "Maybe the magic isn't exactly perfect. Like, if he hasn't taken over a body and the host dies, his spirit will have nothing to anchor too. So instead of his soul leaving the body and finding someone else, it'll die permanently."

"I guess so..." Ruby replied. She looked around, wondering if any were watching them, before she asked her next question. "How did it feel? Being able to do stuff like that?"

"It felt...wrong." Oscar responded honestly, looking at Ruby with a hint of worry in his eyes. "I felt like I had too much inside me, and no matter how many times I tried to expunge it all, even more replaced it. Do you think...this is how he makes them give in? If they're not willing to join he gives them a bit of his power until it becomes too much to the point they finally accept?"

"No." Ruby responded, causing Oscar's eyes to light up in confusion. "Honestly, I think its the exact opposite. He gives them a taste of power and it's meant to become so addicting to them that they accept any bargain so they can get more."

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?" Oscar asked with narrowed eyes, not entirely believing Ruby's response, to which she firmly shook her head. Oscar let out a grunt of surprise as he let himself slink back slightly. "I guess I should say than-"

Feral growling and the sound of twigs snapping caused both to freeze, Ruby looking around for any sign of the noises origin. Then suddenly, out of the bushes limped out a Gnoll, his hide and clothing covered in cuts and blood, his crude blade dripping with blood, leaving a bloodied trail in his wake.

"Oh no." Ruby whispered as she huddled low behind the willow tree. "It's one of the Gnoll's, he must have survived and tracked us here."

"You think?!" Oscar whispered back harshly, looking around for any sign of cover, before his eyes peered upwards. "Up the tree, I don't think these things can climb."

"Right." Ruby responded as she carefully turned around, trying her best to make as little noise as possible.

With a subtle nod, Ruby cupped her hands together as Oscar moved forward, using her hands as an extra stepping stone to reach the branch closest to the ground. When Oscar had gripped onto the sturdiest of the low branches, Ruby gripped his ankle and used it to pull herself up, silently apologising to Oscar as he winced in pain. When Ruby herself had found footing on the tree trunk, Oscar once again began to climb, making it to the top of the trunk in record time. Ruby proceeded to climb as well, taking a brief moment to spy in the Gnoll pursuer.

"Err...Oscar..." Ruby whispered, the ruffling of leaves at the top of the tree pausing as Oscar looked down. "I don't see him any more..."

"Do you think he left?" Oscar asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

"There you are!" a snarling voice shouted, causing both Ruby and Oscar to look down at the ground, where the Gnoll stood, his snout twisted in a snarling grin. "I'm going to gnaw the marrow out of your bones!"

"Quick! Climb higher!" Ruby ordered as she herself began to scale the tree at a much faster rate.

As she looked down, she sighed in relief at the sight of the Gnoll struggling to climb the tree. His arms were far too stubby to reach the branches, and he could only stand and snarl at the sight of his prey getting further and further away.

"Clever humans, climbing so high!" the Gnoll snarled, saliva dripping from his curled lips. "I'll just cut you down instead!"

As the Gnoll finished his threat, he raised his sword up high, before swinging down on the trunk of the tree. What happened next Ruby did not expect. Almost as soon as the blade bit into the bark, there was a loud and almost primal roar that seemed to emanate from the tree, causing it to shake uncontrollably. Both Ruby and Oscar did their best to hold on as tight as possible to the tree's branches, but eventually their grip slipped and they fell to the ground below, right in front of the Gnoll.

There was a look of delight in the Gnolls eyes as he stared at the two, cackling in delight as he readied his sword, the edge covered in stray splinters. That was when they saw the shadow pass over them, and the look of delight on the Gnolls hideous features suddenly turned into panic as his ears drooped low, and his grip on his blade went limp as it clattered to the earth. That was when they saw what at first appeared to be the foot of a giant pass over their head, kicking the Gnoll with enough force to send it flying backwards where it collided with a tree with a sickening snap, its awkwardly twisted body landing with a dull thud. As the foot stepped on the earth, they then realised that it did not belong to that of a giant, not one that resembled a human at the least, for it was like the base of a tree, its thick roots curling and twisting themselves into the earth as if attempting to anchor the being.

Both Oscar and Ruby began to back peddle from the foot, stopping only when they felt their backs collide with the trunk of the willow. Almost as soon as they made contact, the foot suddenly made a step towards them, swerving to their right before rooting itself in the earth. It was then that the shadow passed over their heads once again, and this time Oscar and Ruby dared to look up.

Above them was a gnarled face with a long beard of golden leaves, thick branches sprouting over his body. Great arms sprouted out either side, with thick claw like fingers erupting from his hands. His body seemed to glow with heavenly blue runes, many of them covered by the amber leaves on his body. And it was at that moment that Ruby realised that this giant of a creature had been the tree they had just attempted to climb.

"Oscar..." Ruby whispered, standing up slowly, her eyes still fixated on the towering tree like creature.

"Yeah?" Oscar asked, the tree turning its face in his direction with a great creaking noise, like someone stepping on a wooden plank.

"RUN!"

Without another word, both turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. There was a sudden thud behind them, followed immediately by a sense of weightlessness as they felt something wrap around their midsection. Both were lifted off the floor as they were forcefully turned to look at the tree creature, its face twisted in contemplation.

"The tree's alive! The tree's alive!" Oscar repeated with abated breath, his eyes wide with panic as the tree turned to face him.

"Tree?! I am no tree!" the creature rumbled, much to the shock of both Oscar and Ruby. "I am an Ancient!"

Ruby racked her mind at the sound of the name, when suddenly her eyes widened. She remembered stories that her father told her about Ancients, great tree like creatures that were considered the guardians of the forests, protecting them and all within with near fanatical devotion.

"An Ancient?" Ruby awed, causing the Ancient to turn its head towards her. "I've heard about your kind. Protectors, right? You guard the forest from outside interference."

"That is correct little one." the Ancient replied, his deep creaking voice filled with a hint of surprise. "I am Elothir, Guardian of Lore. And who might you two be?"

"Well...my name is Ruby and this is Oscar." Ruby responded, turning to face Oscar who was still frozen in fear.

"Ruby...Oscar..." The Ancient, Elothir, responded, his brow raised quizzically. "I must say, that those are curious names for a pair of hairless Gnoll's."

"Wait, what?" Oscar finally managed to say, seemingly broken out of his stupor. "We're not Gnolls, we're humans."

"Humans?" Elothir asked quietly, almost as if trying to recall where he had heard such a name before. It was then that his face became twisted with rage and anger and his grip tightened considerably around the waists of both Ruby and Oscar, causing both to gasp in pain.

"Humans! They care not for the woods any more! Now they come with fire! They come with axes! Gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning!" Elothir roared, his grip only tightening further, almost crushing them like a python does its prey. "Destroyers and usurpers! Curse them!"

"We're...we're not like that!" Ruby managed to wheeze out, Elothir turning his gargantuan head towards them. "We're not here to cut down the forest! We're...we're looking for our friends!"

"Hmm..." Elothir mumbled, his eyes narrowed as his grip loosened, causing both Ruby and Oscar to let out breath in relief, sucking in huge mouthfuls of air to fill their lungs. "Maybe you are...and maybe you're not...the night children will know the truth..."

"Night children?..." Oscar asked quietly, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Who...who are the night children?"

Rather than respond, Elothir took a breath of air and blew out towards them, causing both Ruby and Oscar to cough as they felt something begin to fill their lungs, causing them to go drowsy and sluggish.

"Sleep little humans..." Elothir rumbled, Ruby yawning loudly as she attempted to resist the urge to sleep. "Sleep..."

And it was then that Ruby could fight no longer, and she felt her limbs go limp before darkness clouded her vision.

 **00000000**

 **I know that this chapter is a lot shorter than usual, but I felt that any more could bog the chapter down. Not an action one like usual, but there will be action in the future, I promise. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	13. Moonglade

**Hello everyone. First of all, let me apologise for not updating Saturday like I said I would. There was a lot of last minute stuff that happened that day and yesterday so I didn't have as much time as I usually do to update. Another important thing I should note is that from September onwards, I'll be working full time and I may have to work weekends from now on. So if I don't update on a weekend I said I would, then don't worry I'm not abandoning the story, it's just that I would have had no time to write because of work. That said, with no reviews to respond to, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter 13- Moonglade**

When Ruby's eyes began to drift open, she didn't know what to expect to see. Was she still in the titanic grip of the Ancient? Was she trapped in some crude prison, awaiting torture or interrogation? Or was she just in some ditch in the middle of nowhere, slowly dying from fatigue? When her eyes did finally open, she was surprised at what she saw. She was in a bed, her bed, back in Beacon. The morning sun gleamed through the windows as birds chirped and whistled their tunes. She looked around, dumbfounded by what she was seeing. She looked around for any sign of her friends. _Myrtenaster_ sat on Weiss' bed, its chamber empty of Dust. Some of Blake's books were stacked on the bedside table, a fold in one of the pages. And one of Yang's jackets was slung onto her covers, the fabric covered in a thin layer of soot.

"Hello?" Ruby shouted, her eyes darting back and forth for any sign of movement. Every now and then she would see something shuffle out of sight, but paid it no attention. "Is anyone there?"

"Ruby?" a voice called out, one that sounded distinctly like Weiss'.

A sigh of relief escaped Ruby's lips as she jumped out of her bed, walking towards the door, the source of the noise. Yet as she reached out, she heard another voice, one that made her freeze in confusion.

"Ruby?!" the second voice yelled, this one undoubtedly Blake's, but it sounded unnerved, almost frightened.

"Ruby?!" a third voice screamed, this time belonging to Yang.

Ruby's heart began to pound harder and faster as she reached out to grab the door handle, but every time she seemed to get closer to it the farther away it seemed. The cries of her team mates calling out her name only grew more desperate and chilling until at last she grabbed the door handle, pulling it open.

On the other side was not the many corridors of Beacon, but Vale itself, burning, the sky blood red as smoke clogged the sun and moon. The rivers were filled with blood, and the forest's burned like fire. She backed away, hoping to escape the nightmare in front of her, only for her heel to catch something, causing her to fall. She turned around to see what she had tripped over, only for her breath to hitch in her throat as she saw her own team mates bodies, all of them killed in brutal fashion.

Weiss had been impaled by shards of ice, her face literally frozen in shock as the hilt of _Myrtenaster_ hung loosely in her grip, the shattered remnants of the blade coated in violet energy. Blake was slumped on her knees, her hands bound behind her back and her eyes covered by a blindfold, her body covered in soot and cuts as it seemed as if her heart had been ripped out in some sick ritual. And then Yang, her body nothing more but a charred skeleton, only recognisable by the battered and broken _Ember Celica_ that were latched to her arms.

As she stared in horror at her fallen team mates, she saw the slithering forms enter her vision once more. They were like serpents, their mouths filled to the brim with needle like teeth, and their eyes nothing more but more mouths. She tried to run, but it was as if she was running uphill, the serpents quickly coiling around her waist and wrists. She tried to scream, but no words emerged as the grotesque beings tightened their grip on her. It was then that she saw it, a large red eye housed within the roots of a tree, an eye fixated on her. And as life seemed to leave, she heard a voice in the back of her mind, one that seemed to be an amalgamation of a thousand voices, the most prominent of which belonged to her friends.

" _The pain of flesh is fleeting. True torment lasts forever."_

Ruby's eyes shot open immediately after, her breathing heavy as she looked around. She remembered the sense of weightlessness, and the tight grip around her waist and immediately panicked, trying her best to struggle out of it.

"Hold still, little one. We are almost there." a voice boomed, causing Ruby to freeze as she once again turned to her surroundings.

She was in the forest again, and in the grip of Elothir the Ancient. She turned and saw Oscar in the Ancients other hand, his body slouched forward as drool seemed to drip from his mouth. Slowly his eyes began to open as he yawned loudly, a content look on his face that immediately disappeared upon seeing Ruby's pale complexion and panicked eyes.

"Ruby? Are you okay?" Oscar asked, a concerned furrow in his brow.

"Yeah...I'm fine..." Ruby replied, taking in a deep breath to calm herself. "Just a nightmare, that's all."

"A nightmare?" Elothir enquired, his gnarled face shifting to one of concern. "That is disturbing indeed. First the green's, then the forest and now this? This is most troubling..."

"Wait, what are you on about?" Oscar asked, turning his head towards the large tree being.

"Nothing for you to worry about, little human." Elothir answered, immediately shutting down the conversation. "Ah. We are here at last."

Both Ruby and Oscar turned their heads as Elothir spoke and gasped at the sight before them. The area around them was no longer close and claustrophobic, but open and the trees farther apart than they had been. The trees seemed to grow taller as well, their branches reaching high to the heavens. The air around them was clogged with mist, though it did not carry a sense of dread or foreboding, but a sense of peace. The large Ancient took a right turn along a long dirt road, parallel to that of the large body of water on their left, its surface blazing bright, masking shadow's below. It was then that Ruby saw them.

There were two of them, both female from the look of their build, adorned head to toe in armour. The armour concealed their entire body, their helms seemingly made to resemble owls, a purple horsetail sprouting out of the back of the helm. Large green shoulder pads layered with gold protected their upper arms, with a long green cape and green waist cape covering their back and legs, both of which were adorned in ornate blades. Both warriors were equipped with circular blades adorned with many runes, the guard of the weapon designed to look like the talons of an owl. One of the women boldly approached the large Ancient, stopping a respectful distance back as she tilted her head to look at the giant.

"Greetings Elothir. What brings you to the Moonglade, Ancient of Lore?" the figure asked, her voice one of reverence for the Ancient before her.

"These two humans were found within our lands." Elothir began, pausing only to drop both Ruby and Oscar unceremoniously before the warrior, both letting out undignified grunts as they landed hard on the ground. "I thought it best to bring them to you for judgement, Warden."

"Thank you, ancient one." the Warden replied, bowing deeply in respect before turning to the second Warden. "Sister Bladewing, inform Lady Shadowsong of our new prisoners. It seems more will be on trial today."

"At once Sister Moonwarden." the second Warden, Bladewing, said, saluting quickly before she seemed to melt away like a shadow in the night.

"I must speak with the Archdruid's before I leave. One of the humans mentioned something most troubling to me." Elothir stated, causing all to turn their attention to the Ancient once again. "Sira, has Shan'do Stormrage awoken from his slumber?"

"I'm afraid not, Ancient one." the Warden, Sira Moonwarden, replied, causing Elothir to let out a weary sigh. "Archdruid Staghelm still leads them in his absence. Any news concerning the Dream is best discussed with him."

"I see." Elothir mumbled in response, his face a mixture of disappointment and resentment. "Very well then, go in peace."

" _Ande'thoras-ethil_. _"_ Sira Moonwarden replied, once again bowing deeply in respect as the Ancient turned around and lumbered away, the earth shaking with each and every step he took. She then turned her attention to both Ruby and Oscar, her emerald eyes boring holes into the pair. "You two, on your feet."

"What did you mean earlier when you said more will be on trial?" Ruby pleaded, looking up at the armoured warrior.

"I said on your feet." Sira Moonwarden demanded, this time bringing her crescent blade up to bear, its edge glinting in the faint light. "Don't make me ask again."

Ruby reluctantly complied, as did Oscar, who was looking around them. She knew exactly what he was thinking, because she thought the same. They could potentially make a run for it and try and disappear into the forest, but something told her that not only would the Warden be able to find them, but that she wasn't truly alone either. So the two trudged forward, Sira Moonwarden keeping an eye on both of them as she held her blade up, ready to strike them should they try something foolish.

Eventually the trio found their way into what appeared to be a small village, in the centre of which was a small hill with an opening, surrounded by stone pillars, the entrance of which was entangled by thick roots. More women wearing the same armour as their escort made up the majority of the populace, but there were many other armoured individuals, some of them male. Sira gestured for both Ruby and Oscar to stay as she approached the knot of roots, before holding out her blade, the runes on the surface now faintly glowing a bright silver.

" _Anu'dorini Talah."_ she whispered, her voice seemingly echoing with that of another, sending chills down Ruby's spine.

The roots then began to unwind themselves, slipping back into the earth as Sira stepped to the side. Another pair of warriors then stepped forward, stripping Ruby of _Crescent Rose_ whilst also searching both herself and Oscar for any concealed weaponry. Once they had been searched, the two guards unceremoniously shoved both Oscar and Ruby into the Barrow Den, the roots blocking the entrance behind them. Both Oscar and Ruby looked back as the entrance closed before them, only small rays of light spilling through the tangled knot.

"Ruby? Is that you?" a tired yet familiar voice asked.

Ruby's eyes went wide at the sound of the voice, rapidly turning around to face the source. Stood in front of her was Jaune, Ren and Nora, all of whom looked bedraggled and unkempt, Jaune even sporting a cut along his flank. Without another word, Ruby dashed forward towards Jaune, locking him in a hug as she gestured for both Ren and Nora to come forward, the both of them entering the hug soon after.

"Jaune, what happened to you guys?!" Ruby asked, breaking away from the hug to look at the trio.

"We got to the Moonwell, but before we could do anything we got attacked by these people." Jaune quickly explained. "I tried to stop them but...you know..."

"You should have seen him Ruby! He was for once an actually bad-ass!" Nora yelled, causing everyone else to flinch at her loud tone. "He was like 'swoosh'! And the guy he was fighting was like 'swing'! And they were like 'cling'! And then Jaune knocked him to the ground and was all like 'finish him'! But then the guy in the dress was all like-"

"I think she gets the picture, Nora." Ren interrupted, placing a hand on Nora's shoulder to figuratively pull her back, causing the hammer wielder to pout in disappointment.

Ruby couldn't help but snigger at the pair. Despite the severity of her situation, she was glad they were all together again. Her, Oscar, Jaune, Ren, Nora and-

"Wait..." Ruby murmured, a panicked frown quickly forming in place of the soft smile. "Where's Qrow?"

The smiles on her friends faces quickly fell as they all exchanged awkward looks with one another. Eventually, the trio parted, making Ruby fully aware of the unseen sixth occupant of the room. There, slouched up against the wall was Qrow, his skin almost deathly white and clammy, the cut along his arm and stomach having only grown worse. Ruby dashed towards her Uncle's body, skidding to a stop as she knelt next to him and held his hand, not even slightly recoiling at the dampness of the skin. His breathing was ragged and shallow, but at least he was still breathing.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked in a hushed tone, tightening her grip on his hand. Slowly but surely, Qrow began to open his eyes, his pupils staring intently at Ruby, a faint smile on his face.

"Like...like I said...just...a scratch..." Qrow managed to wheeze out, the veteran Huntsman quickly entering a coughing fit soon after.

Ruby suddenly heard the words of power spoken by her and Oscar's captor again, though this time the voice was far harsher and older. Six Warden's quickly descended into the Barrow, their circular blades held out should their prisoners try and escape. It was then that a seventh figure strode down into the Barrow, her armour clanking as she slowly made her way down.

Ruby could immediately tell they were female, even despite the large velvet cloak that covered nearly her entire body. Her armour was more ornate as well, featuring curved blades on the shoulder guards and a silver horsetail, and the Glaive she wielded was more weathered than the others. Her silver eyes scanned the group, almost like a wolf trying to identify the weakest member of the herd. Eventually, she nodded once and the other Warden's retracted their blades, exchanging them instead for large manacles.

"Shackle these prisoners and get them ready to move." the lead Warden ordered, her voice rough and demanding of authority. "The trial will be beginning shortly."

Without another word the Warden's moved forward, clipping the manacles onto the wrists of Ruby and her friends, effectively binding them. All except one.

"Lady Maiev, this one is nearly dead." one of the Warden's, the one Ruby remembered as being called Bladewing, stated, gesturing to the near still form of Qrow.

"Is he still breathing?" the lead Warden, Maiev, asked, to which Warden Bladewing nodded. "Then put him in shackles too, he goes on trial just like the others."

Warden Bladewing nodded once before saluting, gently lifting Qrow off the floor and placing the shackles on his wrists. Once the Warden's were certain that all six of them had been shackled, they were led out of the Barrow Den, the roots closing as the last Warden exited the makeshift prison. They were led back onto the dirt road, the lake glistening brightly in the tranquil moonlight. The dirt road continued deeper into the glade, until at last they came upon a large civilian populace. As before, many of them were armoured to the teeth, but many of them were civilians, or whatever was considered a civilian for these people.

They definitely looked human in most parts, though their skin ranged different shades of purple and blue, and their hair was just as diverse. They had long rabbit like ears sprouting either side of their heads, with pointed eyebrows also darting out in opposite directions. Most of them had silver eyes, though there were some that also had blue or green hues to them, with some even being gold. She also noticed how in tough the populace seemed to be with nature. Rabbits and squirrels darted freely through the streets without so much as a raised eyebrow, as did many owls and large panther like cats.

Eventually, the group was led to the most prominent of the buildings, which was being protected by a large number of guards. Upon entering, they were greeted by a multitude of other guards, but there were many others in what appeared to be formal robes of green and brown. They were then led to the two most prominent individuals, and Ruby couldn't help but feel as though she was standing in the presence of royalty.

One was female, and to say she was beautiful was a very clear understatement. Her skin was a vibrant shade of lilac, perfectly contrasting with her silver eyes, with long flowing teal hair, some of which was tied back into a ponytail. She wore what at first glance appeared to be pure white armour encrusted with sapphires, with a matching cloak, but in the light of the moon she could clearly see that it glittered and shone like the surface of the moon. Beside her was another woman adorned in simple leather, with a blue hooded cloak shrouding most of their features, though she could still very clearly see the twin daggers resting either side of her belt.

The second was male, his muscular build made all the more obvious due to his lack of a top, instead opting to wear a long dress like kilt that seemed to be made of feathers. Like the woman, his hair was also teal, though it was a much darker shade, and he also had a long shaggy beard the same colour. Within his hands was gnarled oaken staff that seemed to have twisted in on itself at the top, giving it a somewhat similar appearance to a walking stick. His face was also old, and the look in his eyes made it clear that he had seen much conflict, but his features were harsh and bitter, and he stared at the six of them with a look so cold it would Weiss a run for her Lien. Eventually, after what seemed like an hour of silence, Maiev stepped forward, descending to a knee as she diverted her gaze to the floor.

"High Priestess Whisperwind, Archdruid Staghelm, I present to you the Human outsiders who trespassed on our land and tried to defile our sacred Well." Maiev stated, barely flinching when she heard Jaune step forward.

"That's not true. All we did was-"

"Silence!" Staghelm shouted, banging the end of his staff on the stone floor, silencing Jaune immediately. Ruby couldn't help but flinch at the harshness of his tone, and judging from the disgruntled look on some of the other Night Elves, they too did not appreciate it.

"Thank you, Lady Maiev." Whisperwind interceded, the Warden standing up and bowing respectfully before stepping to the side. Whisperwind then nodded once to Staghelm, who turned his full attention back onto Ruby and her friends.

"Clearly you deny these claims, despite witness accounts stating otherwise." Staghelm began, an eyebrow raised in question. "Commander Shadowsong."

There was the clanking of armour as Ruby turned to face its source. A male warrior in brown armour stepped forward, a worn leather cloak trailing behind him, its hood drawn back revealing his silver white hair and blue grey skin, one hand resting on the pommel of an elegant looking blade at his side.

"What can you tell us of how you came about these Humans." Staghelm asked, gesturing with his free hand to the six of them.

"Of course Archdruid." the warrior, Commander Shadowsong, replied, nodding his head in affirmation before continuing. "As you may well be already aware, myself and Ranger-General Feathermoon of the Sentinel Army were conducting a rescue operation at the time, trying to free scouts who had been captured by the local Gnolls. I sent a party of three to scout the area, and they returned with four of the Humans as prisoners."

"And the other two?" Whisperwind enquired, gesturing with a hand to Ruby and Oscar. "You say that only four were taken prisoner, yet six stand before us."

"The Ancient of Lore found them, High Priestess." Maiev answered, stepping forward to intercede.

"And where was that?" Whisperwind continued, to which the Warden slowly shook her head.

"He didn't say, but he never mentioned that they had been found near the Moonwell." Maiev replied, earning a thankful nod from the High Priestess as the Warden took a step back.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Staghelm hissed, turning sharply to the High Priestess, who met him with an unwavering glare.

"Conducting the trial." the Priestess replied, causing the Archdruid's fist to clench his fists tightly.

"Well to me it seems like you're defending their actions!" the Archdruid seethed, his eyes filled with rage. "What next? Will you defend the destruction they caused at the Moonwell, including the destruction of the idols to Elune?"

The High Priestesses eyes narrowed considerably as she stared at the Archdruid, who stood unflinching at the hateful gaze. Ruby could see the hooded woman take a step forward towards Fandral, though Shadowsong was quick to subtly raise his hand and shake his head, freezing her in her tracks.

"I can explain that." Jaune spoke up, causing both Priestess and Archdruid to divert their attention to the blonde knight. "It was an accident, the forest came to life all of a sudden and I tried to calm the horse we had but it kicked me back and I fell on top of the idols. I never meant to desecrate them in any way."

"And why should we believe you?" Staghelm hummed, to which many of the others present murmured in agreement. "And even if you were telling the truth, why were you there in the first place?"

"They...they were there...because of me..." a tired voice managed to wheeze out, causing the entire room to turn their attention to Qrow, the owner of the voice.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Staghelm demanded, taking a step forward himself, an eyebrow raised in query.

"No point...you'll never...have heard of me before..." Qrow managed to say, before pointing at Ruby and her friends with his shackled hands. "If you're...going to punish anyone...make it me..."

"Uncle Qrow no!" Ruby cried out, trying to stand up and dash towards her Uncle, only to be held back by the metal claws of a Warden.

"And why should we spare them?" Staghelm demanded, his eyes narrowed in fury. "According to one of men, they attacked them and threatened to kill them."

"Out...of self defence..." Qrow coughed, causing some of the occupants of the room to look at him questioningly. "Besides...they're just children..."

"Just children..." Staghelm whispered, his fury seemingly rising as he took another bold step towards Qrow. "So was my Son when your kind slaughtered him, back when you tried to steal our lands! If it's one thing I've learnt in life, it's that Humans can't be trusted. Why we had this trial in the first place is beyond me. Lady Maiev, have your Warden's execute these trespassers immediately!"

"The sentence is not yours alone to pass, Archdruid." High Priestess Whisperwind countered, stepping towards the raging Archdruid. "We must agree on the sentence together."

"What more is there to discuss?!" the Archdruid demanded, pointing at Qrow in particular. "We should have killed them as soon as we set our eyes on them! And with this state of this one, death would be a mercy!"

"It's...nothing...just...a..." Qrow never finished his sentence as he began to sway back and forth before toppling forward with a dull thud, causing all to refocus their attention on the veteran Huntsman once again.

"Qrow!" Ruby cried out, breaking free of the Warden's grip and charging towards her Uncle, trying her best to move him onto his side. A shadow passed over her as Shadowsong stepped towards her, kneeling down and turning Qrow onto his back, hovering his ear over his chest.

"He's still alive, but I'm not sure for how much longer." Shadowsong announced, turning towards the High Priestess and Archdruid, the latter standing with a smug grin and folded arms.

"Please! You have to help him!" Ruby pleaded, her attention directed more at the High Priestess than the Archdruid, the one she believed was more sympathetic. "I'll do anything if you help him and let them go! Please, I can't lose him!"

A look of sympathy flashed on the High Priestesses face as she turned to the Archdruid, before gesturing for him to follow her. The two then disappeared, the room suddenly buzzing with noise. Maiev stepped towards both Shadowsong and Ruby, her attention focused on the red hooded reaper.

"Stand back, now!" the Warden hissed, Ruby looking up at the green clad jailer with misty eyes.

"Sister, please!" Shadowsong hissed quietly, turning his head slightly at the Warden. Ruby then watched as the Warden growled in contempt at the order before she stepped back, though her eyes were focused on Ruby still. "I'm sorry about her cold demeanour. My sister isn't very trusting of strangers."

Before Ruby herself could make a comment, both Archdruid and High Priestess had returned, all turning silent to see what the two leaders had deliberated. Ruby looked at the pair, and took note of the disgruntled glare that was showing on the Archdruid's face.

"After much discussion, both myself and Archdruid Staghelm have reached a decision." the High Priestess announced. She then turned towards Ruby and her friends before speaking once again. "The accused will not be charged, and treatment will be provided for your wounded." There was angered murmurs amongst the crowd until the Archdruid slammed the butt of his staff on the stone pavement, silencing the room before the High Priestess continued.

"However, until we see fit, you will be required to stay within our borders." Whisperwind stated, now a stern look on her face. "If you fail to comply with this rule, or if you do anything to harm our people, then you will be treated as enemies, and dealt with accordingly."

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 **Once again, sorry for the long delay there guys. For any wondering what Tyrande Whisperwind looks like in the story, just look at her Heroes of the Storm appearance for a better idea. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews, and constructive criticism is welcomed. Next update should hopefully be September 11th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	14. Enter the Nightmare

**Hello everyone, another day and another chapter. I was able to post today but like I said, keep in mind I may have to stagger updates from now on. Now I'll say this myself, I understand that the last few chapters have been somewhat slow, but hopefully this chapter will kick things back into gear. Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter 14- Enter the Nightmare**

Ruby watched silently as one of the Druid's gently placed his hand on Qrow's wounds, the palm of which was beginning to emanate a soft green glow. She watched as slowly the wound began to close up, the black substance slowly but surely disintegrating into nothingness. The Druid then stopped, taking a deep breath as he wiped the sweat off his brow, turning to face the red hooded Huntress who was watching expectantly.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ruby asked, her voice quiet as her gaze flitted between that of the Druid and Qrow, who was still unconscious.

"It is uncertain at this point, child." the Druid replied matter of factly. "His wounds are old and have taken time to fester and rot. The fact that he was still alive isn't exactly human."

"That's my Uncle for you..." Ruby chuckled sadly, the small smile on her face matching her tone. "How long do you think it'll be till he wakes up?"

"Once again, uncertain." the Druid replied, turning his attention back onto Qrow. "We've had to put him into this coma for is own good. The more rest he takes, the sooner his wounds will heal...in theory at least."

"You don't exactly know?" Ruby asked, somewhat concerned.

"Our connection to nature means we very rarely get sick." the Druid calmly explained, turning to one of the many shelves that lined the walls of his chambers to gather some supplies. "We can still get infections from wounds sustained in combat, but they are rarely serious enough to require the amount of treatment your Uncle required."

"What exactly was it that made my Uncle sick? An infection?" Ruby then asked, causing the Druid to chuckle slightly.

"You are indeed curious." the Druid stated, though the smile on his face and the tone of his voice showed he wasn't angered by her persistence. "Your Uncle wasn't made sick by an infection. The main source of the rot appears to stem from some form of venom. Multiple venom's in fact."

"You mean like a cocktail?" Ruby asked, more curious than concerned.

"Indeed. I've been able to identify some of the venom used, but there are many more elements within." the Druid explained as he poured a strange liquid into a small wooden bowl filled with herbs and other grains, before mashing them together. "Whoever made the poison was obviously clever enough to use conflicting venoms."

"How so?" Ruby pressed, watching as the Druid then began to rub some of the mixture which had thickened into a paste onto the wound, frowning slightly when she realised Qrow wasn't even responding to the contact.

"Administrating the wrong anti-venom would be just as fatal as a full dose of the venom. The conflicting venoms in the cocktail meant that whatever anti-venom would have been administrated to your Uncle would have had the same result regardless." the Druid explained as he turned away and began to wash his hands in a small basin by his side. "Fortunately for your Uncle, they weren't clever enough to think they may get treatment from some of the best healers on Remnant."

"I see your very humble about it." Ruby murmured, the Druid chuckling quietly at the statement.

"I will alert you when he is in a stable condition, you may go with your friends if you wish." the Druid said, holding his hands together as he bowed slightly. "Elune be with you child."

"Bye and...thank you." Ruby replied, returning the gesture with a small wave as she left the confines of the hut, her focus now on looking for her friends.

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Jaune watched as Ren and Nora sparred with one another, their weapons in their melee form so as to not cause any damage to their surroundings out of respect for their hosts. They had learned much about them in the past two weeks they had been 'guests'. They apparently called themselves Kaldorei, which roughly translated to 'Children of the Stars' in the common tongue, though a more formal name would be Night Elves.

Much of their origin was a mystery, though allegedly they had come into contact with something they called the Green Dragonflight, developing a symbiotic relationship with them. He didn't know much about it after that, but he knew one thing: he wasn't sure how much longer the people here would tolerate them.

Some of the Night Elves, such as Jarod Shadowsong who commanded their warriors, had so far been true to their word. He'd even been taught a few of their basic fighting styles to go with his own. However some of them, such as Jarod's sister Maiev, who led the Warden's, treated all of them with open hostility. Then of course there were the ones who just flat out ignored them. He seemed to like those ones the most, not stating their distaste for them but also not trying too hard to be nice.

"So how much longer do you think we'll be here for?"

Jaune grunted in confusion as he turned to his right, where Oscar was sat on the grass, his fingers fiddling with the blade like stalks. Ruby had told him about everything that had happened when they had left. The fact that Ozpin's soul was residing within him, the fact that if he gained control of Oscar's body he would die and also Ebonhorn abandoning them to do god knows what. After the Battle of Beacon, he knew that Ozpin was certainly capable of all this cloak and dagger nonsense, but he never thought he would be capable of completely destroying a person's soul to inhabit their body. His perception of the seemingly fatherly Headmaster had certainly changed for the worse.

"I don't know dude," Jaune replied half heartedly. "I guess until either they get bored of us or we piss them off enough that they kill us."

"Ozpin agrees with you." Oscar replied, his tone much the same as Jaune's was. "So how long do you think that'll be."

"Like I said, I don't really know." Jaune sighed, closing his eyes and just wishing that they were somewhere else. "It could be days from now, or-"

There was a sudden clash that disrupted his train of thought as he turned back to see that Nora had disarmed Ren, his weaponry flying off into a nearby bush as Nora then bashed him in the stomach, causing Ren to land on his back with an undignified grunt.

"Ha! I win again!" Nora taunted, planting her foot on Ren's stomach and striking a pose similar to a hunter admiring their kill.

"What are you talking about?" Ren asked confused, his eyebrow raised in tandem. "We've only had one sparring session so far."

"Oh yeah? What about all the other times this week?" Nora rebuked, stepping off of her team mate in the process.

"We only had one...and I won that one."

"All right fine..." Nora pouted, holding out her hand to help Ren up. Ren accepted the hand and Nora began to pull him up, only to let go at the last second, causing Ren to let out another grunt of pain as he fell to the floor again. "Now I win again."

"I give up..." Ren sighed as he slowly rose up off the ground, massaging the back of his neck slowly. "I suppose I'll have to get my own weapons as well?"

"Yep." Nora replied with a wide grin, Ren sighing at his team-mates childish nature.

"They went that way." Oscar stated, pointing towards the nearby bushes, earning a thankful nod from Ren in response.

The Huntsman in training strolled over to the foliage, pushing apart the greenery as he searched for his dual pistols. It was very clear however, by the look on his face, that he'd found something else as well.

"There's something back here..." Ren stated, causing Jaune, Oscar and Nora to make their way over to Ren.

"What is it?" Jaune questioned, peering into the bushes.

"I don't know...I'm going to take a closer look." Ren answered, crouching down onto his knees and shuffling forward. He was gone only for a few seconds before he spoke again. "It looks like a well or something."

"A well?" Oscar stated, turning to the others with a confused look. "Out here?"

"I'm gonna go down and take another look, I think I see some lights down there." Ren replied, quickly disappearing out of sight as he descended into the ground.

"Well if Ren's going I'm going." Nora stated confidently as she placed _Magnhild_ on her back and disappeared after Ren.

"You coming Oscar?" Jaune asked, turning to face the man in question.

"I don't know...I think I might hold back on this one." Oscar replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head slowly.

"Okay, but stay here just in case we run into any trouble." Jaune ordered, earning a quick nod from Oscar in return.

Without another word, Jaune quickly followed after both Ren and Nora, finding the entrance to the well shortly after, nothing more than a hole in the ground with a set of ladders descending into the darkness. Gripping either side of the ladders, Jaune slid down the hole, landing on the stone floor below. He looked around, his sight aided by the braziers that hung from the ceiling, the flames glowing a faint green colour that seemed to unnerve him. He turned around and quickly spotted both Nora and Ren, the latter now once again in possession of his weapons, which he was checking for damage.

"What is this place?" Jaune asked, looking around for anything that might help them identify their location.

"No idea." Ren replied, placing _StormFlower_ in their holsters. "It could be another religious spot for the Night Elves."

"Or a prison." Jaune murmured quietly, remembering their short stay in the Barrow Den.

"Whatever it is, we probably shouldn't stay here for too long." Ren reasoned, turning to face Jaune and Nora, both of whom nodded in response.

"What are you doing here?!"

"I have a feeling we're too late." Jaune whispered as he turned around to greet the source of the noise. In front of him were three Night Elven Druids, scowls present on each of their faces. "Hi, uh...what's up?"

"You shouldn't be here!" the first Druid stated, pointing an accusatory finger at the trio. "You need to leave now, before we call the Warden's!"

"Look," Ren stated, bringing his hands up in a halting motion. "Allow us to explain why-"

There was a sudden ear piercing screech that echoed through the tunnel, causing all six of them to let out yells of pain as they fell to their knees, clutching their ears. The screech ended, and slowly all six began to rise, their ears still ringing.

"What was that?" Jaune wondered aloud, rubbing his ears as he began to stand.

"We all need to leave. Now." one of the Druid's stated, her voice shaking in fear as she and the other two Druids quickly turned tail and ran down the passageway they had seemingly come from.

"What's got them all in a fuss?" Nora questioned, scratching the back of her head slowly.

"Well if it's frightened them, something serious." Ren replied, looking around for any sign of the entity that made the roar.

"Guys? You hear that?" Jaune asked, his ears strained as he slowly began to reach for _Crocea Mors_.

The others paused as they strained their ears, and soon heard it. There was a clicking noise echoing throughout the tunnel, almost like a growl. Then there was a sudden gust of wind, the braziers suddenly going out and sending them all into darkness. Then there was silence, a silence so deafening that they all simply hoped for something to happen.

Then the wall before them exploded as something large and powerful burst through.

 **00000000**

Ruby had frozen after she had heard the roar almost immediately. It was as if the muscles in her body refused to move, no matter how hard her mind forced them to. When she finally regained control of them, she darted off towards the source, instinctively drawing _Crescent Rose_ in the process. She soon reached the mouth of a cave, a pair of jade Dragon statues standing either side of the entrance. Almost immediately after she had arrived, a trio of Druids burst out of the cave, looks of panic on their faces.

"We have to warn the other Druids!" one of them yelled as he ran past Ruby, not even giving her a second glance as he rushed past her.

"What's going on?!" Ruby demanded, though she received no reply from the Druids who quickly disappeared from sight soon after.

"RUN!" another more familiar voice yelled, causing Ruby to snap her attention back to the entrance of the cave, where she saw both Jaune and Ren rush out of the cave, both out of breath as they tumbled towards Ruby.

"What's going on?" Ruby demanded, looking up as she spoke. "And where's Oscar and Nora?"

"Something nasty in the cave..." Jaune managed to say between breaths, swallowing a mouthful of air as he tried to breathe and speak at the same time. "...Oscar didn't come with us...and Nora-"

There was a sudden drawn out scream as all three turned to see something pink get thrown out of the cave and collide with a tree, where it landed on the ground with a loud and undignified grunt. The object soon revealed itself to be Nora, who jumped up with _Magnhild_ ready to be swung at the nearest unfortunate soul.

"Okay, NOW I'm angry with this thing!" Nora seethed, a crazed look in her eyes.

"Angry with what?!" Ruby demanded yet again. Jaune opened his mouth to answer, only for the rumbling of earth to make him freeze and turn.

All attention was once again turned towards the mouth of the cave, the source of the rumbling which was only getting louder by the second. Suddenly a large beast burst out of the cave mouth, a pair of powerful wings on its back fanning out either side from its back. It was reptilian in appearance, with charcoal grey scales covering every inch of its body save for the membrane of its wings, which were blood red. It had a long drawn out face, its mouth filled with needle like teeth that dripped with saliva, and its red eyes were opened wide, a crazed look in them. It let out a roar as its wings began to flap, creating a gust of wind that nearly knocked all four of them to the ground, its tail suddenly lashing out and crashing into one of the jade statues, causing it to crumble instantly.

"Actually, forget I asked." Ruby said, holding up _Crescent Rose_ in defence as the Dragon, for that was what it clearly was, turned its attention onto them.

With another roar the Dragon lumbered forward, Team RNJR quickly darting off in different directions as the Dragon lunged forward, snapping its jaws shut where they had all just been seconds ago, the reptile crashing into the ground as it continued with its momentum. As it began to rise, so too did the students, all of them charging at the Dragon before it could properly recover. They began to hack and slash at the Dragon, which only let out roars of discomfort at the attacks as it swung out with its forepaws, sending all four of them flying back with a thud. The Dragon then rose up, roaring again as a red volatile substance began to build up in its mouth.

"Watch out!" Jaune shouted as he tackled Ruby to the side, a sheet of red energy billowing where they had been standing seconds before. As the energy passed, Jaune let out a sigh of relief as he saw that both Ren and Nora had evaded the attack as well, and were beginning to rise up as well.

"Its hide is too thick, we won't be able to cut it!" Ren observed, well aware that their weapons would sooner break than pierce the scales.

"Then we'll have to break it from inside!" Nora stated, already bringing _Magnhild_ up for a charge, only to be stopped by Jaune grabbing the back of her collar.

"Are you insane? It's skin will be just as thick on the inside!" Jaune countered, watching as Nora looked back and forth between both the Dragon and him.

"Yeah, but at least the inside isn't covered in super hard scales!" Nora countered herself.

"But if that thing swallows us we're dead! And I don't think it will just wait for us to stick something sharp down the back of its throat." Ruby responded, causing Nora to let out a grumble.

"Maybe not something sharp, but something that would explode..." Jaune trailed off, his eyes going wide as a plan began to form in his mind. "I've got an idea. Nora, head up into the trees and shoot it in the mouth when I say so. And use something that'll make a big explosion!"

"I have just the thing!" Nora replied with a salute.

"Ren, Ruby, see if you can damage its wings. It's scales are too thick for us to damage, but if we sever the wing membrane at the very least it won't be able to fly away." Jaune then ordered, pointing at both wings on the Dragon's back.

"Got it." Ren replied, bringing _StormFlower_ up to bear.

"What about you Jaune?" Ruby asked, turning to the blonde knight as she spoke.

"Me? I'll tank this son of a bitch." Jaune replied rather confidently. "...or you know, distract it at the very least..."

Ruby nodded as she held up _Crescent Rose_ , shifting it into its scythe mode as the Dragon stared the four of them down. It then roared, its maw suddenly spluttering with fire which shot out at the four of them. All four dashed away from the burning orbs, the flames scorching the earth almost immediately after. Nora then launched herself into the air with a swing of _Magnhild_ , landing on a tree branch and launching herself higher.

The Dragon turned to face her, straining its muscles for a leap of its own, only to stop as Jaune began to bash his sword and shield together, yelling a string of insults at the creature in order to gain its attention. The tactic seemed to work as almost immediately the Dragon shifted its focus onto the blonde knight, hissing loudly as it began to chase after Jaune. Using this as an opportunity, both Ren and Ruby leapt onto the Dragon's back, Ren then leaping onto the right wing, using his blades the gouge into the membrane, causing the Dragon to yell n pain as it swung its wing around, shaking Ren off the appendage, who rolled forward into the landing.

Ruby focused on the left wing, firing shots from _Crescent Rose_ into the membrane, causing the Dragon to let out roars of pain as it attempted to throw Ruby off its back. Quickly shifting her weapon back into its Scythe form, she activated her Semblance, the tip of her blade entering one of the many bullet holes she had created, her speed increasing as she felt the blade cut through flesh. There was a loud screech of pain as blood began to spray out of the wound, staining the grass red.

Ruby turned to face the Dragon, and it was then she noticed the look in its eyes. At first she had just assumed that it was a crazed look in the beasts eyes, but now she recognised the look, for it was one she had seen many times during the fall of Beacon: a look of fear. The Dragon wasn't mad or simply crazed, it was frightened of something. Before she could share the information with her friends however, she was suddenly thrown off her feet as something thick and heavy slammed into her, where she collided with Ren, sending both into the dirt.

When Ruby looked up, she saw that the Dragon had back Jaune into a corner, its teeth bared and ready to bite into him. It thrust its head forward, Jaune stepping to the side at the last second and slashing down with _Crocea Mors_ , striking its eye. The Dragon reared up and shrieked in pain, its mouth wide open.

"Now Nora!" Jaune shouted, looking up at the tree-line.

Without another word, a pink orb suddenly shot out from the trees, sailing swiftly towards the Dragon's open mouth. As soon as the explosive connected with the back of the Dragon's throat, there was a violent explosion as the back of its head exploded, sending cooked giblets of flesh flying onto its back, the wound quickly becoming cauterised by the pink flames. The Dragon let out the equivalent of a groan as it swayed back and forth, before falling on its stomach, the back of its head sending out a tower of pink flame.

"Is...is it dead?" Jaune asked as Nora jumped down from the trees, landing with a small thud.

"I'm afraid he is."

All four turned at the sound of the voice, and paled when they saw a collection of Night Elven Druids arriving, all of them with weapons drawn. The lead Druid, one adorned in golden robes stepped forward towards the dead Dragon, letting out a sombre sigh as he placed his hand on the Dragon's snout.

"Rest in peace, old friend. May you be remembered for the good you did in life, and not these final hours of madness..." the Druid whispered, before stepping back.

"What happened to him?" Ruby asked, the Druid turning to face her with a sad look in his eyes.

"Shar'thos had been consumed by the Nightmare." the Druid replied, giving the dead Dragon, Shar'thos, one final glance as he spoke. "He and the rest of his kind have been trapped within it for many months now, but for him to turn is a frightening development indeed."

"What do you mean by the rest of his kind?" Ruby then asked, causing many of the Druids to murmur to one another in hushed tones. The lead Druid looked at Ruby and her friends before turning to the mouth of the cave that Shar'thos had erupted from before turning to answer Ruby.

"It's best if we show you..."

 **00000000**

 **And done. Liked it? Feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me. Next update should be September 23rd.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	15. The Dreamer

**Hello everyone. Another day, another chapter. Big news for WoW this week, seeing as on the PTR we just got major hints for the aftermath of Antorus and we also got an audio book titled 'A Thousand Years of War'. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who has an interest in the wider universe of Warcraft as it delves deeply into the relationship of Light and Shadow, which are big forces in the Warcraft universe. Now review response time. Shadowwolf1997; whilst I answered your question through a PM, I will answer it again for everyone. This story is part of a major series called 'The Hour of Twilight' which will be comprised of five stories. This is the first novel, with the second focusing on Weiss, the third focusing on Blake and the fourth focusing on Yang with the fifth being the culmination. So whilst Blake and Sun won't be appearing here, they will appear eventually. And AmethystPone; I appreciate all three reviews you sent so I'll go through all of them individually.**

 **For the first, I just thought it would make more sense for the Twilight's Hammer and Deathwing to just kill Salem and her gang, seeing as whilst Salem seems to want world domination, the Twilight's Hammer want the Hour of Twilight, which is the end of all things. For the second, I had it in my mind that seeing as Ruby was just shot, his main focus was on her safety rather than the Assassin's death, and I also envisioned that the poison was already working through his veins at that moment, weakening his body. And the third, honestly, it just flew over my head about Jaune's Aura, that one's on me. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 15- The Dreamer**

Ruby was silent the entire time as the Druid's led her and her friends through the tunnel, the lead Druid holding a torch in his hand, the orange flames flickering and illuminating the surrounding darkness. When they had killed the corrupted Dragon, a feat they were not entirely proud of, the Druid's had promised to show them more answers. So far they had only descended deeper into the cavern the Dragon had emerged from, their only company a near suffocating silence. They passed the broken wall where the Dragon had erupted from, and after only a brief moment of hesitation did the Druid clamber over the rubble, now following the trail of destruction the Dragon had wrought.

They continued on in silence, even Nora kept her mouth shut in case she said something offensive. Soon the surrounding walls began to change. No longer were they walls erected by mortal hands, but changed instead to stone carved by time. Light from the outside seeped in through the rock, illuminating the cavern. Water streamed in from the surface world, creating a still pool that trickled onto the ground, creating a stream that led to another pool, this one far larger than the other. Exotic plants and fauna surrounded the them, but even in what little light there was, she could tell something was wrong.

Most of the plant life seemed normal, and seemed to glow with a warm green glow that emanated a sense of peace. But the rest were starting to decay, and the corruption seemed to be spreading drastically. They saw as one of the corrupted petals, shrouded in a red mist that radiated a sense of dread, fell from onto the ground, the green grass covering it suddenly turning black as it slowly died before their eyes.

"That is merely the beginning." the Druid sombrely stated, breaking the silence for the first time since entering the cavern. "There is more."

Without another word, the Druid's continued deeper into the cavern, Ruby and her friends following them quickly to avoid losing them. As the plant life surrounding them became more abundant, so too did the amount of corrupted plant life. The plant life they quickly realised was not the only thing being affected. Many insects flew between the plants, most of them butterflies, fireflies and small birds, which fluttered from flower to flower. Ruby watched in slight horror as one of the fireflies was suddenly snatched in the claws of a mantis, its carapace covered in black and red spikes, whilst a hummingbird was ensnared in the red silk cocoon of a monstrous spider. It was then that the cavern began to illuminate not with the orange glow of a torch, or light from the heavens, but an earthly green glow.

Large Emeralds sprouted from the walls, glowing with primal power and illuminating everything a healthy shade of green. The cavern began to open up wider, and Ruby couldn't help but gasp at the sight before her. The plant life was once again vibrant and pure, with more wildlife fluttering around peacefully. The roof had a hole in the centre, which let in rays of light from the heavens above, centred on a pool of tranquil water where a single doe drank from, before springing away back into the foliage.

"This is the Emerald Dragonshrine," the Druid began, stopping only to place his torch on one of the scones connected to the entrance. "It is here that our people first came into contact with the Green Dragonflight, who called this land home long before we did."

The Druid paused as he led them to the far end of the shrine, where a vast cave entrance awaited them, flanked by a pair of Dragon statues, their eyes studded with jades. As all of them entered, they were greeted by a honeycomb of caverns, all of them filled with emerald coloured eggs. Ruby let out a silent gasp as she saw that with each clutch was a large green Dragon. Its scales were the colour of leaves, with golden brown scales running along the back of the neck to the tip of the mace like tail with scales the same colour running down its underside. Ruby couldn't help but notice their similarity with the Twilight Grimm, save that whilst they were beasts of shadow, these were beings of flesh and blood. But the one thing that troubled Ruby the most was the one that was most consistent.

"Why are they all asleep?" Ruby asked aloud, her voice reverberating through the cavern. Even as her voice echoed through the cavern, not a single Dragon stirred, the only indication they were even alive being the soft rise and fall of their chests.

"They sleep because of the Nightmare." the Druid simply replied, saying nothing else as he continued forward, deeper into the cave.

"You keep mentioning this Nightmare, but you don't actually explain what it is." Jaune replied, his eyes scanning the throng of eggs that surrounded him.

"To understand the Nightmare, you must understand the Emerald Dream." the Druid replied, stopping as he turned to face the four of them. "The Emerald Dream is a mirror of the physical world. Think of it as a blueprint of the world, a plane of existence untouched by civilisation. In place of your cities and villages, there is the land that was there before their creation. The Dream can only be accessed by those that are truly in tune with nature, such as the Green Dragonflight and our own people, though the world of men has also been influenced by the Dream, the planes bleeding together when your minds are weary.

"But the Nightmare...the Nightmare is something else. We do not know its origin or its creation, but it is a parasite, feeding on the life that the Dream provides, corrupting all it touches. All who are touched by its decay never awake, and once one has truly fallen to the Nightmare, there is only one way to free yourself: death."

"Can anything be done to stop it?" Ren asked, looking around at all the slumbering Dragon's around him, aware that any one of them could suddenly become corrupted by the Nightmare.

"We have already tried." the Druid said, turning around to continue through the cave network, speaking as he did so. "Our leader, Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage, theorised that the Nightmare had to have a source within the Dream. If it could be destroyed or purged, then the Nightmare would fade away, freeing all from its grip. He and a number of our best Druid's entered the Dream to purge the Nightmare. None have awoken, trapped within the Dream, along with the Green Dragonflight."

"Are all of the Green Dragonflight trapped in the Dream?" Ruby asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Most of them are trapped, slumbering until they are either free of its corruption or fully consumed, like Shar'thos. As for those that are not..." the Druid paused as he pointed to one of the many outlets in the cave, where a single Green Drake lay, her eyes wide open and filled with sorrow. "They have lost their way. Many entered the Dream willingly to be by Her side again, regardless of the risk it carried."

"Who are you talking about?" Ruby asked, her brow arced questioningly.

"I speak of Her..." the Druid said, pointing to another opening in the cave, this one much larger.

Slowly, Ruby and her friends stepped through the cavern and let out another gasp. Before them were two large Green Dragon's, both sleeping patiently together. The smaller of the two was male, his scales a deep forest green with a crown of pale horns on his head, the largest two curving inwards towards his spine. He also had a small horn on both the tip of his nose and the end of his chin. Yellow teeth stuck out between his lips, and his tail ended not in a mace like protrusion as it did with many other Dragon's, but a scythe like blade.

The larger of the two Dragon's was female, and was magnificent to behold. Her scales were a deep turquoise green, with a lilac underbelly. Her nasal horn sprouted out just above her nostrils, with a pair of larger horns sprouting from the back of her head, with lilac fins running along the edge of her jaw. But the strangest thing about her appearance that caught Ruby off guard was the armour the Dragon wore. A golden crescent moon crown hovered just above her head, and green plate armour covered her forelegs, shins and the end of her tail, the metal seemingly held in place by vines.

"Before you lies Ysera the Dreamer and her consort, Eranikus." the Druid sombrely stated, stopping only to kneel before the slumbering Dragon's, an act that was followed by the other Druids and Ruby and her friends. "She was the first to fall prey to the Nightmare, followed by Eranikus, who delved deeply into it to save her."

"Will she awake?" Ren asked, averting his gaze from the slumbering Dragon to look at the Druid.

"We do not know." the Druid admitted, standing up as he spoke, everyone else following suit shortly afterwards. "Though I do know one thing; if we fail to stop the Nightmare, then it will consume everything."

 **00000000**

Asira Dawnslayer leapt forward as she fired a barrage of bullets from her twin pistols, the shadowy construct she had been firing at suddenly dispersing into nothingness as the bullets connected. As she landed, she tucked into a roll, firing a round from her pistol into the leg of another construct, shattering it and causing the apparition to hiss in pain before being silenced by a second bullet, this time to the head. As the second construct dispersed, four more emerged from the shadows, all with a wide variety of shadowy weapons. Asira shifted her pistols back into daggers and charged forward.

She ran between two of the shadowy constructs, spinning swiftly as she passed them, cutting their throats open for the world to see. She turned to the third, raising her daggers up in the air to block the overhead strike, quickly kicking the construct in its gut and staggering it. As she approached for a second attack, she dived to the side as the fourth thrust forward, the smoky blade mere inches from her back. Before the shadow could retract their arm, Asira swung down, cutting the hand off from the construct. The shadow shrieked in pain as it held its arm up, smoke billowing out of it much like blood. She prowled forward and cut open the constructs chest, before slashing across its midsection, the constructing collapsing on itself before dispersing.

She didn't even hear the third construct charge her from behind with a silent battle cry, she only heard an angry growl followed by something crashing into the ground. She turned around slowly to see her Twilight Grimm holding down the final construct, which hissed and shrieked in pain as it attempted to pry itself free from the beasts jaws. Asira barely moved as a ghostly blade appeared above her head, aimed directly at the squirming construct. The shadow let out one final shriek before the blade pierced its maw, travelling through its gullet and erupting into the earth from its chest, the construct dispersing quickly afterwards, followed by the ghostly sword.

"Impressive..." a voice called out, Asira turning to face it, quickly catching sight of Twilight Commander Vyral, leader of the Twilight's Hammer forces within the area approaching her, hands clasped behind his back. "Though I wonder if things would have turned out differently had your ally not been here."

"Of course not." Asira hissed back, her one good eye narrowing in anger. "I may be half blind now, but I'm still good with my blades."

"As I saw." Vyral responded, his eyes narrowed questioningly. "How is your eye?"

"Still can't see, but I can live with it." Asira responded, her gloved hand tracing the tip of the scar.

"How would you feel if the one responsible for this was within your grasp?" Vyral questioned, his eyes narrowed slightly into slits.

"If they were here right now, the pain I felt when they struck me would be but a fraction of the pain I'll inflict." Asira seethed, her hand tightening into a fist as she spoke.

"I believe you may soon get the chance." Vyral replied, flashing a smile, his yellow teeth glinting in the moonlight. Before Asira could ask what he meant, he gestured for the assassin to follow. "One of our contacts has found the one you seek, along with the one you hunt."

Asira froze at the news, her good eye widening in surprise as she tried to maintain her composure. "Where is she?!"

"Unfortunately, she is deep within the lands of the Night Elves, who have been a thorn in our side for far too long." Vyral muttered, before turning to face Asira again. "But soon she will be vulnerable, and that is when you must strike, whilst the Night Elves are still weak."

"How do I get there?" Asira asked, stepping forward eagerly, her actions also mimicked by the Twilight Grimm, who had not forgotten the near crippling injury that Qrow Branwen had dealt it.

"Go deep into the forest and follow the corruption. Our informant within their ranks will meet you there and guide you from then on." Vyral informed her, Asira quickly turning around to gather supplies for the journey. "And one more thing."

Asira stopped as she turned to face Vyral once more, the Twilight Commander turning to face her with an evil glint in his maddened eyes.

"If you fail again, pray they kill you, for Lord Deathwing will not be so forgiving..."

 **00000000**

Ruby watched from the sidelines as the Night Elves all argued with one another, trying to come to an agreeable conclusion. When Ruby and the others had left the Dragonshrine, Warden's were waiting for the Druid's, informing them that the Elder Council was waiting for their presence. Ruby and her friends had been told that they too could attend, though warned them that any suggestion they made would most likely be ignored for good reason. So Ruby, Jaune, Ren, Nora and Oscar sat on the fringes of the assembly, watching as the Council began.

As Ruby had guessed, the Council had been summoned due to the growing threat of the Emerald Nightmare, which was now beginning to affect the mortal world, as shown by the death of Shar'thos. The greatest worry for them was that if something should happen to the entirety of the Green Dragonflight then they would not only lose their connection to nature, but also their immortality.

The Night Elves all had different solutions as to what should be done. Some argued that they continue their efforts in trying to free Ysera and her brood, before all of nature is consumed by corruption. Others argued that they should simply leave the Moonglade, and find some new land to inhabit. Then there were the ones who argued that maybe their time had come, and they must simply fade away.

"We cannot simply abandon the Emerald Dream, nor those that are trapped within." Tyrande argued, causing many of the Night Elves to grunt in agreement.

"You only say that simply because your life-mate is amongst those trapped!" a voice from the crowd argued, which in turn received many grunts of agreement.

"Do you forget your place, novice?!" Fandral growled, pointing accusingly at the offending individual. "You speak of our leader!"

Ruby's eyes widened in realisation at Fandral's words, as her eyes darted quickly towards Tyrande, who had a calm look on her face despite the slight.

"She and Malfurion are doing the dirty?!" Nora whispered loudly, causing one of the nearby Night Elves to hiss loudly to silence her. "You shush!"

Ruby rolled her eyes at Nora's behaviour, turning her attention back to Tyrande and Fandral.

"As the High Priestess has said, we cannot abandon the Dream." Fandral argued, the Druid's in the crowd murmuring in agreement. "However, we cannot stay here either, that much is for sure."

"Then what do you suggest, Archdruid?" Tyrande asked with narrowed eyes, clearly suspecting something from the Archdruid.

"Within the Emerald Dragonshrine lies a tree, one that was brought from the Dream by myself." Fandral explained, some of the Druid's murmuring in shock at the statement. "Within it holds the power of the Dream. I suggest we take a sapling from the Dream, and infuse it with Ysera's life essence."

There was an immediate cry of outrage at the suggestion, even from those that usually supported the Archdruid. Ruby at first didn't understand the reason for the outcry, until Tyrande spoke up above the noise.

"Are you suggesting that we slaughter the one who has protected and guided us for thousands of years?!" Tyrande yelled in anger, which the Archdruid was quick to address.

"Believe me, I wish we do not have too, but Ysera has been lost within the Nightmare for too long!" Fandral argued, his voice bitter and venomous. "If the Nightmare managed to corrupt one as mighty as Shar'thos, who knows what devastation it could wrought at the hands of an Aspect! If we store her essence whilst it is pure, we can start again, somewhere new!"

"Doing so would only delay the inevitable!" Tyrande rebuked, taking a step towards Fandral as she spoke. "If this sapling is connected to the Dream, then that means it is connected to the Nightmare as well. We could plant it in a new home, only for it to fall into darkness!"

"Then what do you suggest?!" Fandral demanded, taking a step forward himself. "Send more of our people to become servants of Nightmare?! I will not risk any more of my students on a doomed mission!"

"Then send me instead."

All dissension in the room stopped as all turned to face the owner of the voice, who was stood at the edge of the crowd, next to her friends.

"Send me instead." Ruby repeated, the Night Elves looking at her with mixed expressions of shock and confusion. "I'll go instead."

"Ruby, what are you doing?" Jaune asked, looking at Ruby with a look of worry on his face, though Ruby chose to ignore him.

"I'm disposable, so it wouldn't matter if anything happened to me." Ruby continued, some of the Night Elves looking at one another as she spoke.

"Greathoof." Tyrande called out, causing the attention to shift to an elderly looking Night Elf Druid. "Is it possible for a mortal to enter the Dream?"

"On her own, it would be impossible. But I may know a remedy or two that could allow her access to the Dream." the Druid, Greathoof, replied. "That is if Archdruid Staghelm agreed to the suggestion."

All eyes turned to face the Archdruid, who was keenly studying Ruby's features. It seemed like an age before the Archdruid spoke.

"Whilst I am against the suggestion that we willingly allow the Dream to be tainted by human hands...I am in agreement with the human."

Ruby nearly did a double take at the Archdruid's words, believing that she had misheard him at first, and judging by the looks on many of the other Night Elves faces, she was not alone.

"As she said, she is not one of our own, and it would most definitely be preferable to our previous suggestion." Staghelm elaborated, causing the Night Elves to murmur and nod their heads in agreement.

"Very well then..." Tyrande said, clearly eyeing the Archdruid warily before turning her attention back to the gathered Night Elves. "Do any wish to voice their concerns?"

Once again to Ruby's surprise, not a single voice rose up in protest, both High Priestess and Archdruid turning to face one another and nodding once.

"Then we have nothing else to discuss. Tomorrow at midday, Ruby will enter the Dream and attempt to end the threat of the Nightmare and save those caught in its web. Goddess watch over you human."

 **00000000**

 **That's that. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews. Next update will be October 7th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	16. Into the Dream

**Hello everyone, another day and another chapter. First, review response time. DemonDireWolf; glad you like the story and I hope it continues to impress. Now only one other thing before I get started, which is NEXT EXPANSION HYPE FOR BLIZZCON 2017 Y'ALL! Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter 16- Into the Dream**

"Uncle Qrow? Can you hear me?"

Ruby didn't exactly expect a response from her Uncle, who was still trapped in his comatose state. Part of her was glad honestly. At least this way he would not be able to argue against her choice. Yesterday she had volunteered to enter the Emerald Dream and bring the fight directly to the Nightmare itself. She knew that failure wasn't an option, and that she very well may die trying to help people she barely knew.

"I'm going to be going soon...and I'm not sure I'll be coming back." Ruby began, her voice breaking slightly as her emotions began to get the better of her. She knew that this was going to be hard, but she wasn't expecting it to be this hard. "I just want you to know that I understand why you lied to me about my mother...and I'm sorry for the way I treated you..."

She sniffed loudly as she brought her hand to her face and wiped away a tear that had begun to trickle down her cheek, laughing slightly in an attempt to calm her nerves.

"Who knew that saying goodbye to a comatose man would be so hard..." Ruby joked, wiping away another tear before looking at Qrow's motionless form once again. "Goodbye, Qrow..."

Ruby leaned forward and kissed her uncle on the forehead, slowly getting up and walking away, stopping next to the Druid who was tending Qrow.

"We will ensure your Uncle makes a full recovery, Miss Rose." the Druid said as he bowed low in respect. "It is the least we can offer for what you are doing for us."

"Do me a favour and if he wakes up and I'm gone..." Ruby paused as she turned to face the still form of her uncle. "Don't tell him I said I was sorry and I said goodbye..."

"Of course, Miss Rose." the Druid replied with a nod. "May the Goddess watch over the both of you."

Ruby nodded in appreciation as she turned to leave, the Druid watching her go. As he lost sight of the red hooded Huntress, he turned to begin treating his patient, only to pause at the sight a single tear trickling down from the Huntsman's closed eye…

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Ruby didn't stop as she made her way to the Barrow Den the ritual would take place in. She ignored everything, even the passing Night Elves who thanked and blessed her for what she was doing for them. She didn't even register the guards outside the Barrow Den, who instructed her of where the ritual chamber was within the area. It didn't take her long to find the throng of guardsmen, led by Jarod Shadowsong, along with a contingent of Druid's and her friend's.

"Are you prepared, young one?" the eldest of the Druid's, Rensar Greathoof, asked. "It is not too late to back down, and completely understandable."

"He's right Ruby." Jaune said, stepping forward and placing a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder. "You don't have to do this."

"I know I don't." Ruby replied, before turning to face Jaune with a determined look in her eyes. "But that I'm still going to do it."

Jaune nodded sombrely before taking a step back, both Jarod Shadowsong and Rensar Greathoof taking a step towards Ruby, the later holding a vial in his hands.

"Once you take a sip of this elixir, you will be able to enter the Dream." Rensar explained as he uncorked the vial and poured it into a clay cup. "Then we will use our powers to guide you into the Dream, where you will awaken in your spiritual body. It is more powerful than your physical form, but you must be careful. In your spiritual form you will be most vulnerable to the Nightmare. It will try to twist your perception of reality and attempt to corrupt you. If it fails at that, it will simply destroy your form and if that happens..."

Rensar didn't say anything else, but Ruby knew what would happen. She would die in the physical world as well.

"What about my body? What happens to me if something happens to that?" Ruby asked, this time Shadowsong answering.

"Your physical body will be in a comatose state whilst in the Dream, and if anything happens to it then your spirit will be lost and you will die." Jarod answered, before gesturing to her friends. "Which is why your friends have volunteered to watch over your body until you awaken, and just in case I have a contingent of my men outside the room ready to protect you."

Ruby turned to her friends and nodded in appreciation, all of them nodding back at her. She then turned to Rensar who held the cup out to her, Ruby taking it without hesitation. She brought it to her face, expecting it to reek of something horrid, only to relax as she caught a whiff of peppermint, already feeling drowsy as she inhaled it. Without so much as a second thought, she ingested the liquid completely, already a sense of drowsiness overtaking her.

"Simply relax." Rensar told her as he helped her onto a small bed, her head resting on a soft velvety cushion. "Let go of your body and embrace the pull of the Dream. Do not fight it, or you will fail to enter."

Ruby didn't know if she was willing it or not, but slowly she began to feel something drawing her away from consciousness. She just knew that all of a sudden she was beginning to feel very tired and slow. When she next opened her eyes, she couldn't help but feel surprised at the sight of trees surrounding her, tall and vibrant trees of every kind. She sat up, her hand brushing against crisp grass instead of the stone floor of the Barrow Den. What was more was that she felt stronger, both in body and mind. She felt that she could take on anything. And then without warning they appeared.

Large panther like cats sprung from the shadows, hissing and growling as they stared daggers into Ruby's form. The panthers were followed by a throng of bears, some standing on their hind legs as they roared in an attempt to intimidate her. The bears themselves were followed by Night Elven Druids, garbed in green robes that seemed to resemble a Green Dragon to an extent. And they all looked angry. Her first instinct was to draw her weapon, _Crescent Rose_ , out in an attempt to fight. And that was when her attackers began to speak.

"What's a human doing in the Dream?!"

"How did she get here?!"

"Have we failed? Has the Nightmare leaked out of our sacred Grove?!"

She paused at the words, suddenly realising that the Druid's were not servants of the Nightmare at all. These must have been amongst the Druid's who chose to combat the Nightmare as she had. No longer believing them to be a threat, she withdrew her scythe, though the surrounding Druid's still held their weapons out in defence. She then proceeded to hold her hands up in surrender as she slowly placed her weapon on the ground, the Druid's only slightly lowering their own guard in response.

"I'm not here as an enemy, I'm here as a friend." Ruby stated, some of the Druid's looking at one another warily. "I was sent here to try and stop the Nightmare."

"Why would our people send a human?" a Druid demanded, lunar magic beginning to glow around his hands as he pointed his weapon at the young Huntress.

"It must be a trick, don't listen to her!" another stated, the other Druid's grunting in agreement.

"What? No! I really am here to help!" Ruby responded loudly, the Druid's once again aiming their weapons at the red hooded Huntress.

"She must be a servant of the Nightmare! She bears their colours!" a third Druid shouted, followed by a loud chorus of agreement. "End her! Before she can corrupt this sacred place!"

"No, please!" Ruby begged as lunar and solar energy began to glow around the hands of the Druid's as they prepared to unleash their wrath upon the Huntress.

"Stay your weapons!" a deep authoritative voice commanded, the Druid's stopping their magic immediately as they turned to face the source of the voice.

Ruby turned as well as she saw a great beast come into view, his body covered in emerald scales with a maw filled to the brim with clean serrated teeth. Upon his head was a crown of horns, with more running along his spine and joints. Golden yellow eyes peered deeply into her, and simply staring at them made Ruby feel as though she was hypnotised. It took her only a moment to realise she was staring at a Green Dragon, slowly falling to her knees as shock took over her body. The Dragon let out a low rumble as it took a step towards her, inhaling deeply as it sniffed the air around her, attempting to discern her scent.

"She does not bear the mark of the Nightmare." the Dragon stated, the Druid's surrounding her almost immediately lowering their weapons in response. "Return to your duties, all of you. The real threat will soon be drawing near."

The Druids all bowed in respect before leaving the clearing almost immediately, leaving only Ruby and the Green Dragon within.

"Forgive my allies for their haste to end you, these are dire times for all, and they carry dark memories of the humans with them." the Green Dragon explained, before turning away from Ruby, looking back over his shoulder when Ruby did not move. "Come, walk with me."

Ruby hesitated for a second, only to recover as she picked up _Crescent Rose_ and stepped forward towards the Dragon, both continuing forward at a steady pace.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Itharius." the Green Dragon, now known to her as Itharius, stated. "I was once the Guardian of the Emerald Dragonshrine. It was my charge to watch over the shrine and protect it from harm. But when our beloved Ysera was stolen from us by the Nightmare, I was amongst the first to answer the call. And now, we are trapped within the Dream...at least what's left of it."

Itharius paused as they stepped into a much larger clearing. Around the two were Druid's and Green Dragons pouring nature magic into the land around them, plant life growing around them in response. She saw that most of their attention however was diverted at the border of the greenery, where a thick blanket of red mist encroached ever so slowly. She could not see much from behind the fog, but what little she could see was uninviting.

"You stand upon one of the last bastions of the Dream here in our beloved Moonglade." Itharius continued, gazing out towards the encroaching fog of the Nightmare. "There are others like the ground we now stand upon, but soon, I fear the Nightmare will consume us all. Which brings me to you." Itharius then turned his head towards Ruby, there gazes locked onto one another's. "Why are you here?"

Before Ruby could open her mouth to answer, there was a loud groaning noise. Ruby turned to look for its source, as did all others present. The dry groan sounded once again, though this time its source was more apparent. A small dark clump had appeared deep within the fog, and Ruby could just make out distinctly elven features. It then moaned again, and Ruby could most certainly make out what it was trying to say.

"Help...me..." it wheezed, its voice dry and hoarse, as if it had been screaming.

"That voice, I know that voice." one of the Druid's murmured in shock. "That's my brother."

"...Please...help...me..." the figure begged once again, what appeared to be a hand reaching out imploringly towards them.

"What are you waiting for then? We have to help him!" Ruby shouted as she turned towards the Druid who had said that it was his brother, only to find that the Elf had a look of confusion on his face instead of grief.

"But my brother is dead, he died a few days ago." the Druid reasoned, the figure in the fog once again begging to be saved.

"He may have survived...we have to be sure..." another Druid stated, before they slowly began to step forward towards the fog.

"Wait! Don't go in!" a third Druid shouted, though it was too late.

The second Druid had stepped within the fog and was dashing towards the figure, only to freeze in horror as they suddenly melted away into shadow. The Druid within the fog suddenly turned and began to run, already realising their mistake. It was then that a pair of shadowy figures leapt out and began to slash and hack at the Druid, who began to scream in pain as the twin shadows tore them apart, piece by piece. The Druid was dead in seconds, clumps of flesh and blood dripping from the long lanky fingers of their attackers. It was then that the shadows turned to face the gathered Druids, their red eyes like torches in the night. Then they were joined by another pair, and another, and another until it seemed to be throng of red torch like eyes glaring back at them.

Then they began to advance.

"Prepare yourselves!" Itharius bellowed, many of the Druid's swiftly channelling whatever magical might they could muster.

The other Dragons began to inhale deeply before breathing out a green mist onto their allies, including Ruby. Upon inhaling the green mist she could feel herself become calmer, more focused. She brought _Crescent Rose_ up to bear and loaded the rifle with a satisfying click, aiming at the foremost of the eyes. She fired, the Dust bullet flying in between its eyes, their owner letting out a pained hiss as whatever it was dissipated back into the shadows. Upon seeing this, the other Druid's let loose their magic, orbs of lunar, solar and nature magic soaring towards the column of eyes.

Some found their mark, the satisfying sound of magic burning flesh resounding around them, though many seemed to miss. The first creature passed beyond the barrier, giving Ruby a full clear view of their adversary. They looked like a Night Elf, though their skin was ashen and they had black fur running along their shoulders and elongated forearms, each hand enlarged and with stick like fingers, and ending in crude hooked claws. A pair of goat like horns erupted from their scalp, and their lower half was like that of a goat, including a tail and cloven hooves. The creature smiled, baring his fanged teeth as he lunged towards the line of Druid's, though Ruby was quicker, firing a round that pierced its left leg, causing the beast to hiss in pain before a pillar of moonfire crashed into it from above, killing it instantly.

"Shadow Satyr's!" Itharius roared, quickly drawing his head back and letting lose a cone of acid, the Satyr's roaring and hissing in pain as they were melted on the spot by the vile liquid. "Stand your ground! We have to hold them off!"

The Druid's continued to fight valiantly, some taking the shape of cat and bear to bring the fight to the Satyr's personally. Ruby continued to fire rounds from _Crescent Rose_ , focusing her attention on the Satyr's who were charging Druid's already in combat or were too wounded to carry on fighting. The Dragon's too continued to fight, flying overhead so they were not too much of a target for their enemies, either breathing acid at their enemies or healing mists on their allies.

Ruby turned as a Satyr charged her, its belly already shredded by claws with black blood pouring out uncontrollably. The creature put up little fight as Ruby swatted its hand away before gutting it with her blade. In response the Satyr vomited up blood all over Ruby, causing the Huntress to stagger back as she spat out some of the blood that had entered her mouth. It was then that she began to feel light headed, dropping _Crescent Rose_ as she clutched her forehead. It was then that her perception of reality began to change, and she felt like she had been drugged. She fell to her knees before looking on in horror, for now it was the Satyr's that had begun to turn the tide in their favour as black boned Dragons flew overhead, vomiting acidic blood onto the Druid's.

She turned, her eyes wide with fear as she saw a Druid charge her, a blade in their hand. She could do nothing but raise her hand in defence as they prepared to gut her like a pig, only for a Satyr to step between them and slash open their neck, black blood spilling freely from the wound. And it was as the body landed did her perception shift once again, and she was staring once more at the dead body of a Satyr, his throat clawed open by a bears strike.

She looked around warily, only to see not a single Satyr in sight, the Druid's now tending to the grove and their wounded. She looked around in confusion before the reality of what had happened struck her. The blood must have been corrupted by the Nightmare, and when she swallowed it it must have tried to shift her perception of reality, trying to get her to attack her allies. She looked to her side, _Crescent Rose_ lying on the grass waiting for her. She grabbed her weapon, standing up and striding towards Itharius, who stood and watched as the Druid's and Dragons began to heal the land around them.

"That was simply a taste of what the Nightmare can do." Itharius warned, turning towards Ruby with a sombre look in his eyes. "If it is allowed to spread, this will be the fate of the entire dreaming world."

"I know..." Ruby murmured, turning towards the cloud of fog, Itharius following her gaze. "Which is why I'm here. I'm going to stop the Nightmare."

Itharius swung his large head towards Ruby once again, though this time his features were one of shock at what the Huntress said. "You realise that if you go in there, we cannot help you."

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't try." Ruby argued, taking a step towards the line of fog, the other Druid's simply staring at her incredulously.

"We cannot help you if you enter the Nightmare child...but there is one who can." Itharius stated, causing Ruby to stop and turn around to face the Dragon. "Search for Archdruid Stormrage. He will know how to stop the Nightmare. But you must find him quickly, before the Nightmare consumes him."

"How will I find him?" Ruby asked, loading a fresh clip into _Crescent Rose_.

"He will find you first." Itharius answered, causing Ruby to huff in disappointment. "Do not stop, even if you think you are safe. And whatever you do: don't fall asleep."

Ruby nodded at the advice, before turning to face the blanket of fog in front of her. Then she took a step forward, and she was in the Dream no more.

The Nightmare had ensnared a new victim.

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 **Done and done. Liked it? Feel free to review and constructive criticism is appreciated. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews. Next update will be October 21st.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	17. The Emerald Nightmare

**Hello everyone. Another day, another chapter. First, let's do review responses! Guest- glad you liked the chapter my friend and that this one also impresses. Now I know some of you will have already seen the first episode of Volume 5 by the time this goes live, maybe even the second if you have Rooster Teeth First membership. So I implore you to please leave no spoilers in your reviews! Now, on with the show!**

 **Side note: for those who want a bit more immersion for this chapter, I would recommend listening to The End by Adrien von Ziegler on YouTube when Ruby starts hearing the whispers.**

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 **Chapter 17- The Emerald Nightmare**

Ruby continued to trudge forward, her footing sloppy and lame. How long had she been wandering? She didn't know. Almost immediately upon entering the fog of the Nightmare, she realised that time had little meaning in the foul realm. What was merely a minute in the real world dragged on for days and weeks in the Nightmare. She was tired, so tired. She wanted so badly to just fall asleep and just rest. But the entire place was seemingly a death trap. What would look at first like a cave transformed into a fanged maw of some ancient creature, and whenever she found shelter under a tree it transformed into a snake with what seemed to be an endless row of teeth.

And then there was the fog itself. With every inhalation she seemed to grow more tired, as if it were sapping her strength. She felt herself fall forward, her knee's hitting the rough and gritty ground, the course soil rubbing between her fingers. She couldn't do this, there was no way she could do this. She was always an optimist, but this very place was sapping her very will, her drive to succeed. She thought of her friends, she thought of her sister...she thought of Uncle Qrow.

No, she wouldn't give up. Not while they still waited for her. She wasn't going to let them down. Yet as soon as she felt fresh strength and resolve course through her, she suddenly realised that she was being watched. She saw the faint outline of a tree up ahead, her vision focusing on it as she leaned forward. It was then that the tree seemingly turned, and a large bloodshot eye was staring back at her. She gasped loudly, her eyes wide in fear as the eye suddenly vanished into red mist, the tree vanishing as well.

" _What's this?"_ a voice called out, a voice that Ruby recognised, but simply could not recall. _"A presence… Something new, yet… Familiar. Yes..."_

Ruby then felt a gust of wind billowing towards her, the young Huntress holding her arm up to shield herself as the gust seemingly passed through her. She couldn't be sure, but it felt as though the wind had been pulling at her very soul.

" _Your coming was foretold in the rings."_ the voice continued, seemingly coming from every angle all at once. _"The long circle is nearly complete."_

It was then that Ruby felt the floor moving beneath her, almost creeping across her hands and over her legs. She looked down, a cry of horror escaping her lips as she realised the floor was no longer the barren dirt trodden path she had been following for the longest time, but now a creeping carpet of maggots, roaches, worms and flies. Almost as she had cried out, the living carpet seemed to grow more active, now attempting to swarm her, nipping and stinging at what flesh they could get at.

" _Come little one. Savour your fear as we feast upon it!"_ the voice cooed, much louder now, almost as if it was gaining strength from Ruby's fear.

Ruby kicked and swung at the insects already clambering over her, quickly standing up as the swarm suddenly began to build up on itself and towered over her like a wave, ready to consume her whole. As the wave began to topple towards her, she jumped to the side, the deadly tower instead toppling in on itself, already attempting to reform itself nearer to Ruby. She continued to run, even as she felt the floor change once again into a dirt ridden path, and she continued to do so even when she felt her lungs grow dry.

It was then she realised she was no longer in an open plane, but in a blackened and charred forest. She looked around warily, her hand quickly going to _Crescent Rose_ , which remained untouched. It was then she heard a loud caw, almost like a crow or a raven. She turned, only to see nothing. She then heard the bleating of a goat, turning again to see nothing. She heard the bleating again, this time louder.

" _Have you had the dream again?"_ the voice asked, startling Ruby as she spun around, only to see nothing. _"A black goat with seven eyes that watches from the outside."_

She heard the bleating again, this time much closer. Slowly she turned, and nearly screamed in fear at the sight of a black furred goat, its skull and feet bare of flesh, the former filled with seven red orbs that seemed to ooze blood. The goat bleated again, though this time it sounded less like a goat and more like someone screaming for help. She backed away slowly until her back was up against a tree, and that was when she realised she couldn't breath. She tried to swallow a mouthful of air, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't. It wasn't as if something was coiled around her neck, but more like there was simply no air. She heard the caw of a bird once again, looking around frantically, expecting to see some nightmarish creature, but saw nothing. It was then she noticed how dark it all was, almost as if under a shadow.

" _The giant rook watches from the dead trees. Nothing breathes beneath his shadow."_

Hastily looking up, she could see the shape of a large rook, a tendon with a rotting eye still attached hanging from its bloodied beak. She tried her best to move forward, her limbs dulling as she attempted to move, until she was in the darkness no longer, and air began to fill her lungs once again, though it was arid and burned like fire. She began to cough and splutter as she choked on the toxic air, her eyes beginning to water, blurring her vision. Yet when she wiped what she thought were tears in her eyes, she recoiled as her hand instead felt something warm and sticky. Looking at the back of her hand, she couldn't help but gag upon seeing a streak of her own blood instead. It was then the air became suddenly still, and she could hear ragged breathing behind her.

" _It is standing right behind you. Do not move. Do not breathe."_

Despite every fibre of her being forcing her to listen to the voice, she instead found herself turning to face it. She was greeted immediately by the shape of a large cat with red eyes. Yet as the creature began to move towards her, she saw its skin was covered in scales, and its tail was bare of any flesh. What was more was that its head was not that of a traditional cat, but more like that of a Beowolf's skull. She felt her body go stiff as the creature observed her, its teeth clattering together in a predatory way. It then began to move away, slinking into the shadows before disappearing altogether. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the creature was gone as she began to turn around.

She fell back with a scream as the creature was now in front of her, its maw open as a tortured scream echoed around her. A long snake like tongue suddenly sprung out of its empty mouth, darting towards her like a bullet from a gun. With a shriek she lunged to the side, the tongue instead impacting the dirt before the creature retracted the appendage, turning to face her as blood seeped from its jaws like saliva.

She ran for her very life, not daring to look back behind her as she heard the beast closing in on her. It was then that she felt herself get picked up off the floor by her cape, nearly throttling her as she saw the shape of a large tree like creature appear. It looked very much like the friendly Ancient Elothir, though its bark was blackened, with red ooze seeping from cracks and splinters in its bark. The corrupted Ancient then opened its mouth, which was filled with red liquid that bubbled and boiled.

Ruby squirmed and kicked to try and free herself, only for the Ancient to drop her in its mouth. She braced herself, expecting to feel burning pain across her body, only instead to feel a sudden chill. She opened her eyes, bewildered to see she was instead in murky waters. She turned rapidly, quickly spotting a dim light and instinctively began to swim towards it.

" _At the bottom of the ocean even light must die."_

She felt a sudden need of urgency as she realised the closer she came to the light, the dimmer it became. As she struggled frantically to reach the light, she heard a sharp hiss. She turned to see a long worm like creature, its mouth seemingly filled with what looked like broken glass. And it was swimming straight for her. She swam faster, kicking every muscle into overdrive in an attempt to put as much distance between herself and the creature, which was getting closer with every second. The light was close now, she pushed herself further and further, even as her muscles began to lax.

As she touched the light, she felt fresh pain in her leg as she felt something bite onto it and was now pulling her away. She turned, horrified to see that the worm like fish had bitten onto her leg and was dragging her away from the light. She tried to pry the creatures jaw open, only to fail as she saw her own blood begin to cloud the waters. She punched at the creatures hide, she even tried to claw its eyes out, yet it was as if it couldn't feel the pain being inflicted on it.

It was then when she felt as if her lungs were about to burst that the beast finally released its grip on her and she felt herself get shot up to the surface and onto dry land. She coughed and spluttered as she began to crawl forward like a blind and writhing worm, before collapsing in a heap. Yet as she opened her eyes, she felt her breath hitch as she realised she was on a writhing mass of flesh, seemingly made from the bodies of the dead. She crawled forward, attempting to get away from the horrifying sight when she felt limbs grasping at her legs. She turned in a panic as she saw that the bodies she was crawling on were still alive, their pitiful moans echoing around her, begging her for help.

More limbs began to grab her, pulling her beneath them as she tried to fight them off. Eventually she was swallowed, and felt herself falling, a panicked cry escaping her lips. Then she felt herself land on something...something sticky. She looked around to find herself in a darkened cave, and that she was caught in a red fleshy net. As she struggled to free herself, she heard a wail behind her, with a large black shadow appearing on the walls. She fought harder to free herself, but the more she seemed to struggle the tighter the net became.

It was then that the owner of the shadow revealed itself, and it was then that Ruby realised she was not in some crude net, but a web. The creature look almost spiderish in appearance, though it seemed to be mixed with that of a Night Elf. Its torso and head were Night Elven, with silver eyes glaring at her, though its jaw and chin were instead replaced with the fangs and eyes of a spider, and its long lanky arms ended in crude scythe like pincers, with a spiders body below the torso. The creature skittered forward, saliva and venom dripping from its fangs as Ruby struggled once again.

Just as she felt the webbing give way, the creature was upon her, her panicked cries being muffled as the thing began to cover her head to toe in thick webbing. She felt herself get hung upside down as she continued to squirm and struggle against the thick bindings, which grew tight as if cutting off her blood supply. As she continued to squirm, she felt the webbing get ripped from her eyes, followed by a sharp pain in her abdomen. She let out a muffled cry as she felt venom rush through her system, dulling her senses and her will to fight.

" _Welcome death. Do not fight it."_ the voice once again cooed, this time seemingly emanating from inside her own head. _"Release your grip on hope."_

Ruby tried to fight back as she felt her vision darken as the venom began to take its toll, her once frantic cries turning into mere whispers. Yet even then, she refused to give in, still struggling even after she felt another stab of pain, this time on her neck as the spider creature gave her another dose of venom.

" _You have failed those who needed you."_

She felt her vision darken as blurry images of Weiss, Blake and Yang filled her vision, all of them in various forms of torment flitted through her vision. She saw Weiss, bloodied and beaten as she attempted to fight off a human like creature made from ice. She saw Blake, looking over her home of Menagerie, the houses burning as the citizens fled for their very lives. And she saw her sister Yang, beaten and bruised on the floor as a large armoured being stood with his foot on her chest, a flail in one hand and a shield in the other.

" _Oblivion offers solace. Take the gift! Take it!"_

She felt her grip on consciousness begin to falter, yet as she felt her eyes begin to close, she saw something on the brink of her vision. In the darkness of the cave, which was filled to the brim with the Nightmare's corruption, a single green sapling flourished. A single light in the darkness. She wouldn't give up, not whilst there was still hope.

With renewed resolve, she felt the webbing around her begin to lax and the venom seemed to flush out of her system. Without so much as a second thought, she tore herself free of the webbing, landing on her feet quickly. As the spider creature howled in anger, Ruby drew out _Crescent Rose_ , quickly slicing the creature in two, its howls of anger turning into shrieks of pain as it crumbled into dust.

" _What pointless impudence!"_ the voice roared around her as she felt the cave begin to rumble.

She turned and saw the swarm of insects once again charging towards her, filling the cave to the brim. Rather then turn and flee as she had done before, she braced herself and fired a shot from _Crescent Rose_ , the bullet exploding and dispersing the cloud of death with a cacophony of screeches. She dashed forward as the other insects began to disintegrate around her, quickly coming face to face with the seven eyed goat and the black rook. Both charged her, their cries haunting her to her very core, but still she stood her ground.

She fired a shot at the rook, downing it immediately with a hideous death rattle. The goat charged into her, Ruby dodging the brunt of the assault, though a single horn grazed her side. As the goat turned to face her again, she swung out with _Crescent Rose_ , decapitating it and sending its head into the wall, which shattered immediately. She then yelled out in pain as she felt something slash into her back, turning to see the large cat creature standing behind her, its claws dripping with blood. The creature opened its mouth as the tongue once again shot towards her, though instead of running, Ruby swung out with her Scythe, slicing it in half and causing the creature to shriek in pain as it retracted what was left of its tongue.

Before the creature could recover, she slammed _Crescent Rose_ into the base of its skull, sending it crashing to the ground with a dull thud before it too dispersed into nothingness. She steadied herself as she felt the cave rumble before the hand of the Ancient crashed through, breaking it down as the monstrous creature attempted to break though. Ruby ran up the Ancients arm, swinging her Scythe into the tree monsters eye socket, causing it to groan in pain as it toppled backwards, bringing down most of the cave with it.

" _Still you fight? Still you refuse the gift?"_ the voice hissed, the shadows around her growing thicker in an attempt to frighten or intimidate her.

She turned to see the fish like worm hissing at her, most of its body hidden in shadow as it observed her. As it lunged forward, Ruby fired a round from her weapon, shattering the creatures form immediately. As she lowered her weapon, she felt herself begin to tire as her wounds began to take their toll. As she strode forward, she heard a sudden gust of wind. She turned, just in time to see a large tail suddenly swing out in front of her, smashing into her and sending her tumbling into the earth.

She picked herself up, only to be sent crashing to the ground as she felt a clawed hand smash into her back. Slowly she began to rise again, only to be sent to the ground again as something once again swiped at her. As she got up, she saw the forms of four Dragons in the shadows, all of them teeming with the Nightmare's corruption. They surrounded her, like a pack of wolves surrounding a wayward lamb. She hefted _Crescent Rose_ up as she prepared to fight, knowing full well that this would most likely be her final stand.

And then, just as the Dragons prepared to pounce, a flash of green light filled her vision, blinding the Dragons, who howled and roared in discomfort. A spear of silver light then darted towards the Dragon closet to Ruby, causing it to shriek in pain as its flesh became blackened and charred. All four Dragons quickly leapt into the air, spears of light following them into the darkness. As the Dragons left, she felt what little energy was left in her body leave her, causing her to fall to the ground in a heap. The last thing she saw was the shape of a figure dash towards her, their staff glowing with the same green light…

 **00000000**

 **Chapter done. Liked it? Feel free to comment and review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews. Next update WON'T be on 4th November, seeing as Blizzcon will be on then and I can guarantee I'll still be suffering from intense nerdgasms. Instead, the next chapter will be out 11th November, a week after.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	18. Stormrage

**Hello everyone. Another day, another chapter. Blizzcon has been and gone and I have to say, super excited for not only the next expansion, but also official vanilla WoW servers! Gonna have to play on one of those when they come out just to see how different it was back when it first came out (I only started playing in late BC). Now, review response time! TheFelRoseOfTerror: wait a second, Azeroth? Aren't you supposed to be dying like, right now? I guess thanks for the compliment, though I fail to see how you're okay with references to the Old Gods considering they're literally trying to turn you to the dark-side. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 18- Stormrage**

Ruby's body ached with pain when her consciousness returned to her. She felt as though she was literally being crushed between a rock and a hard place. As she attempted to sit up, she collapsed on the spot as she felt her entire body numb from the attempt. She groaned in slight frustration before trying again, only to be met with the same result. Yet when she collapsed the second time, she realised that the ground was not hard or slime, but soft and comforting. She inhaled deeply, and was met not with the stench of rot and decay, but with the smell of freshly mown grass and summer flowers.

She opened her eyes, and was greeted by the sight of verdant green grass, soaked in dew. A large tree towered over her, its deep green leaves offering cover from above, with multiple forest flowers surrounding its roots. She sat up readily, already wary at her surroundings. Part of her wanted to believe this was all real, and that she was in a safe haven within the Nightmare. But another part of her recalled the danger she was in previously, and wondered if she was simply in some foul trap set by the Nightmare.

"I understand you have many questions my child." a voice called out to her, causing Ruby to turn to its source. "But perhaps you could answer some of mine."

When Ruby had fully turned to face the source of the voice, she couldn't help but gasp. Standing proudly before her was a Night Elf, though he was like no Night Elf she had seen before. Large deer antlers sprouted out from his forehead, their roots covered in the thick mane of long green hair, some of which was tied back into a ponytail. A long and thick beard covered the majority of his chest, though it did little to hide his large muscular frame, which was covered in bright purple tattoos which ran along his shoulders and arms. His leather gloves ended in a trio of bony metal claws, similar to those of a bird of prey, with a row of feathers running along his arms. At first glance, Ruby thought they were part of his clothing, only to later realise that they were fused to his body. A strip of green cloth with a silver crescent moon on it dangled down from his belt, with baggy brown trousers an a bearskin covering his legs. When she looked at his feet, she was once again surprised to see that his feet were not that of a normal Night Elf, but more akin to those of the Nightsabers the Night Elves rode into battle.

"Wha-who are you?..." Ruby managed to say, her mouth slightly agape in wonder.

The Night Elf simply raised one of his brows at Ruby in slight confusion as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I believe I was the one who was asking the questions here." the Night Elf responded, his face neutral and his voice demanding authority. Despite this tone though, Ruby did not feel as though she was in danger.

"Oh, right...sorry." Ruby chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head as she spoke. The Night Elf hummed as he began to stroke his chin in deep thought, his eyes boring into Ruby.

"I believe I will start with the most simple question, what is a Human doing so deep in the Dream?"

"Well, you see, I was helping your people out." Ruby explained nervously, fully aware that any word she said could be her last if the Night Elf didn't believe her. "You see, your people were getting concerned about the whole Nightmare incident, and were worried that it could spread to everyone so I kinda volunteered myself to go stop it because, well, I'm kinda expendable to them so..."

"What do you know of the Nightmare?" the Night Elf asked, his eyes narrowed with a hint of suspicion.

"Not much really, only that it's like, super bad and will probably kill everyone if given the chance." Ruby explained with a shrug, the Night Elf grunting slightly in response.

"And what exactly is a Human doing in our lands?" the Night Elf asked. Ruby knew this was her make or break moment. The wrong answer could potentially lead to her getting killed. She needed to make sure her answer was clear, which was hard enough for her under normal circumstances, let alone trapped in a place that was pretty much insanity incarnate.

"Well, we sorta got captured by your people, but this Tyrande lady said we could stay as long as we-"

"Tyrande?!" the Night Elf suddenly and sharply interrupted, causing Ruby to clamp her mouth shut in response. "You have met her?"

"Only once or twice but, yeah." Ruby responded somewhat warily, already aware of the sudden change in the Night Elf's temperament.

"How fare's my beloved? She is well I take it?" the Night Elf asked, his voice filled to the brim with worry.

"Yeah, she seems okay I guess- wait, beloved?" Ruby asked, a confused look on her face at the choice of wording.

"That is good to hear." the Night Elf sighed, a look of relief on his face. "I have tried to reach out to her, though all my attempts have been foiled. It warms my heart to know she still leads her people with the same strength and conviction she always has."

It was then that the realisation of who she was speaking to hit her like a truck full of bricks, her mouth dropping open again as she tried to form words in her mouth.

"You're-...you're Malfurion Stormrage...aren't you?" Ruby finally sputtered out. The Night Elf turned to look at her, a warm smile on his face as he simply nodded once.

"Indeed I am." Malfurion responded, holding his arms out either side of him. "And what, pray tell, is your name child?"

"My...my name is Ruby Rose..." Ruby said, standing up and doing her best attempt at a curtsey, causing the Night Elven Archdruid to chuckle in humour at her poor attempt.

"Please, I am no royalty, there is no need for such honours." Malfurion replied, holding his hand up in a stopping motion. "You may relax now, you are in no danger any more. A friend of Tyrande's is a friend of mine."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say we're friends." Ruby explained with an awkward shrug. "I mean, all she did was keep me and my friends from being killed..."

"Exactly. She has more reason than any of us to kill Humans." Malfurion explained, causing Ruby to blink in slight surprise. "The fact she spared you must mean that she saw something within you my child, something strong..."

"I mean, I wouldn't know anything about that but..." Ruby stopped herself as she shook her head, her thoughts quickly going to one of her primary concerns about this place. "Do you know anything about the Nightmare's corruption? Like where its source is?"

The smile on Malfurion's face quickly disappeared, replaced now by a frown as he nodded his head.

"Indeed I do," he explained, his eyes closed in contemplation. "But we must not discuss it here. It is no longer safe."

Ruby looked around and quickly understood what the Archdruid was on about. The fog of the Nightmare still surrounded them even within the sanctuary that Malfurion had created. Whilst the plants within the centre were still lush and green, those closer to the edge were already beginning to die and decay. Even with the fog Ruby could see that there were shapes watching them like unwavering sentinels, seemingly motionless.

Ruby nodded in understanding as the Archdruid turned, quickly grabbing his staff, which had been resting on the tree next to him. A thick grey fog suddenly surrounded him as his body began to shift and change. Ruby raised an eyebrow in confusion until the fog cleared, and Ruby felt her jaw drop from its hinges at the sight. The Archdruid was no longer a Night Elf, but a stag with silver fur, its body adorned with the same runic markings as his own was.

"Climb on my back and we'll be off." Malfurion said, Ruby quickly obeying the order without another word.

Once Ruby was sure she was secure, Malfurion quickly bolted out into the fog, the shapes within hissing and shifting as if they couldn't stand the presence of the Archdruid. Ruby kept a grip on _Crescent Rose_ , just in case the need to use it arose in the very likely event they were attacked.

"So do you know what's responsible for this whole thing?" Ruby asked, the Archdruid turning his head slightly in response.

"I have my suspicions, but I cannot be certain." the Archdruid replied, his fur bristling slightly as he spoke.

"What about that thing that tried to kill me?" Ruby asked, recalling the sinister voice of the being that seemed to send shivers down her spine even now.

"I know not its name, only that it is a tumour of Nightmare that has taken root deep within the heart of the Dream." Malfurion responded, his voice filled with contempt. "If it festers for any longer, then nothing will stop the Nightmare's corruption from consuming all."

"And what about Ysera? Is she still alive?" Ruby asked, causing the Archdruid to slow down as he looked at Ruby with confusion.

"How do you know of Ysera?" Malfurion asked, his focus on Ruby.

Ruby was about to answer when she saw movement ahead of them, her eyes going wide as she recognised the sharp outline of a set of claws. "Look out!"

Malfurion turned too late as the claws raked through his chest where the neck and chest connected, staining the silver fur red. The Archdruid let out a sharp yell of pain as he tumbled forward, crashing into the ground and sending Ruby flying forward. She tucked into a roll, landing somewhat gracefully as she drew out _Crescent Rose_ , spinning to face the direction their attacker had come from.

She saw Malfurion, back in his Night Elven form, clutching his chest, his beard stained red with blood. He too turned to face their attacker, a Shadow Satyr with knotted black fur and bony spikes erupting from his arms and legs, his thin claws dripping with the Archdruid's blood. Before the Satyr could think to advance, Malfurion held out his hands and pointed them at the Satyr, his hands open in a claw like grasping motion. Vines suddenly erupted from the earth and quickly began to entangle the Satyr, the creatures cries of panic quickly being silenced as the vines wrapped around the Satyrs neck, choking him to death.

Ruby turned as she saw a Satyr charge Malfurion from behind, face twisted into a sinister grin as he raised a hand to slash open the Archdruid's back. But before he could even get close, Malfurion spun around and swung his staff out in a horizontal arc, a wave of silver green light erupting from the end of the staff and darting towards the Satyr, cleaving it in two with a loud shriek. More and more Satyrs dashed towards the Archdruid, and more and more fell. Ruby watched in slight disbelief as the Archdruid raised his staff into the air and in response, millions of pillars of moonlight fell from above upon the Satyrs, causing them to shriek and howl in pain as the lunar energy tore them apart, leaving only a wave of smoke where they stood. When the smoke dispersed, Malfurion stood calmly, piles of ashes surrounding him, his hand wreathed in a faint green light as he held it close to his chest, the wound he had received when they were first attacked re-knitting itself immediately.

"That...was...awesome!" Ruby yelled, causing the Archdruid to turn towards her with a somewhat confused expression. It was then that both heard a slow, mocking clap emanating behind them, causing both to turn and face it, only to be greeted by the blanket of fog.

"I must admit, I am impressed Malfurion." a gravely voice commended, though its tone was unwelcoming. "But in here, not even Elune will be able to save you..."

"That voice...I should have known..." Malfurion growled, bringing his staff to bear as Ruby caught the glimpse of three shapes approaching from the fog.

She immediately recognised them as more of the Shadow Satyrs, though it was the centre one that drew her attention. He was larger than the others, with long black hair and glistening red eyes that were riddled with hate. He had furry shoulders with red crystal like spikes sprouting out of them, and a rotting black belt with a dragon's skull as the buckle, his long goat like tail covered in red spikes. Red runic tattoos covered his ash grey skin, and his black fur was tinted with a faint red outline. He smiled wickedly as he glared at the Archdruid, who returned it with a glare of his own.

"Long time no see, Malfurion." the Satyr smiled, laughing menacingly as he clicked his blood red claws together. "You do recognise me, don't you?"

"I will NEVER forget your betrayal, Xavius!" the Archdruid growled, the grip on his staff tightening as the Satyr laughed in response.

"So you DO recognise me then...good, I was hoping you would." the Satyr, Xavius, snarled, his decaying fangs visible as he flashed the Archdruid a smile. "How fares your sweet Tyrande? She is coping well without you, I hope?"

"You will not speak of her! Not now, not ever!" Malfurion shouted, the end of his staff glowing brightly as he spoke.

"Struck a nerve, have I?" Xavius laughed without humour. It was then he noticed Ruby, turning towards her with a leering grin. "And what have we here? A Human pet? How very unlike you Malfurion..."

"Who are you?" Ruby demanded, aiming _Crescent Rose_ at the Satyr, though he didn't even flinch at the sight of the weapon.

"He is Xavius, a coward and a traitor to our people!" Malfurion answered, hefting his staff up ready to attack.

"No need for such harmful words, Malfurion." Xavius responded with false sadness. "We simply had a...disagreement over certain things in the past..."

"Like selling out your own people to the Mantle Empire?!" Malfurion rebuked, his grip on his staff growing tighter as he spoke.

In response, Xavius merely smiled, once again flashing his teeth for both to look at. "I must admit, it was very...painful when you killed me the first time, especially considering 'how' you killed me. But in the end I had the last laugh, for it granted me a link to the Emerald Dream, the one place you held dear. Imagine my delight when I saw I was here..."

"So you're the one responsible for the Nightmare then?" Ruby asked, lowering her weapon slightly as she spoke.

"The sole credit is not mine alone child, for I had help." Xavius explained with a shake of his head.

"What have you done to Ysera and her brood?!" Malfurion demanded, his voice filled with a fury Ruby didn't know he possessed.

"Oh I am merely showing them the error of their ways, Malfurion." Xavius explained with a savage grin. "Some have already had a change of heart, but the Aspect is taking a little more...persuading than usual. Not that it matters though, she will see the error of her ways or be destroyed."

"We will stop you." Ruby warned, aiming _Crescent Rose_ at the Satyr leaders brow, though Xavius merely laughed in response.

"I would like to see you try..."

Ruby fired her weapon with a loud crack, though the bullet ended up passing through nothing as the Satyr was already long gone by the time the bullet hit him, leaving only the two Satyrs who had accompanied him. Both charged with blinding speed towards Ruby and Malfurion, the latter quickly raising his hands as orbs of yellow energy erupted from the palm of his hands, burning away the Satyrs flesh until nothing was left. Ruby fired another bullet at the second Satyrs leg, blowing it off with a bone shattering snap. The Satyr fell to the ground with a thud, Ruby finishing it off with a downward stroke from her Scythe blade. She turned towards Malfurion, who let out a weary sigh as he leaned against his staff, staring briefly at the pile of ash that had been the Satyr.

"Come...let us continue..." Malfurion beckoned, taking a step forward as he continued deeper into the Nightmare.

"Wait up!" Ruby shouted, running towards the Archdruid and only slowing down when she was right next to him. "What's the plan?"

"I believe I know the answer to ending the Nightmare once and for all..." Malfurion explained as he continued onwards. "If we free Ysera and destroy Xavius, then perhaps the Nightmare's hold on this plane will crumble..."

"That's great but, where do we find her?" Ruby questioned, turning to face the Archdruid as she spoke.

"I know of only one place where Ysera would be." Malfurion answered, a contemplative look on his face. "The Eye of Ysera, the very heart of the Emerald Dream."

"Wait, isn't that were that...thing is?" Ruby asked warily, gripping _Crescent Rose_ even tighter than before.

"Indeed it is." Malfurion confirmed, turning towards Ruby with a sympathetic frown on his face. "Steel your heart my child, for now there is no turning back."

 **00000000**

 **That's right, Malfurion is here. Why? Because he's FUCKING MALFURION, the most badass and swag Druid there is! Oh and Xavius is here too, but no-one cares because he's not Malfurion. Liked it? Feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Just PM me or leave in your reviews. Next update should be November 25th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	19. The Dragon's of Nightmare

**Hello everyone. Another day, another chapter. So nothing much to say except response to reviews. TheFelRoseOfTerror; I don't know, N'Zoth seems like a cool guy. He's the only Old God who's smart enough not to telegraph his presence before he's free. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 19- The Dragons of Nightmare**

Ruby and the Archdruid continued to trek through the vast thickness of the fog, their eyes ever wary for hidden dangers lurking within. The occasional caw of a crow echoed around them, as did the creaking of tree's in the still wind. Every single sound sent a chill down Ruby's spine, her body stiffening the closer they were. She looked to the Archdruid, perhaps with the faint hope that he too was experiencing the same whirlpool of emotions as she was, only for her heart to sink when she saw only the same steadfast expression he'd been wearing for nearly their entire journey.

Every once in a while, the pair would come across a mass of corruption that blocked their path, though with a gesture from his staff, the corruption would wash away temporarily, allowing them free passage to continue further. Sometimes the corruption would retreat for what felt like a day, whilst other times it threatened to swallow them whole as they walked through the brief clearing. Even so, despite the progress they seemed to be making, Ruby felt as though they were merely going in circles. Every tree seemed to be the same, every set of eyes watching them from the same position. She was even confident she had seen her own footprints on the road they travelled. With a heavy sigh, she collapsed on her knees, a wave of fatigue suddenly overtaking her entire body, forcing her to close her eyes and just sleep.

"Miss Rose, you must not fall asleep!" she heard the voice of Malfurion warn her, followed quickly by a strong pair of hands gripping her arms and shaking her awake, the concerned face of the Archdruid staring back at her. "If you do, you will be lost to the Nightmare, never to wake again!"

"But...I'm just so tired..." Ruby yawned, her vision blurring as her eyes forced themselves shut. It would only be for a minute or two, that was all.

"Miss Rose, please. I beg of you, do not fall victim!" Malfurion begged, shaking her again, only this time her vision did not blur.

" _Sleep child, do not delay the inevitable..."_ a feminine voice cooed, a voice Ruby wanted to ignore, but couldn't help but obey.

" _I can sense the shadow on your heart...embrace it for all eternity..."_ another more masculine voice added, its seductive tone almost to enticing to resist.

"Do not listen to them! They want you dead!" Malfurion shouted, though with each word his voice grew fainter.

" _Hope is a disease of the soul, allow us to cleanse it..."_ a different voice, feminine like the first, offered, Ruby's vision now going completely black as lethargy took hold of her.

" _The caterpillar shall emerge from the cocoon as a butterfly, and she will be all but ours..."_ a second masculine voice bragged, its ethereal echo running through Ruby's bones. _"You have failed her, Archdruid, as you always have."_

"Not today, fiend!" the faint voice of the Archdruid shouted, as Ruby's clouded vision was suddenly pierced by a sharp green light.

She awoke with a gasp, nearly coughing up bodily fluids as she attempted to stand. She looked at her surroundings, surprised to see herself in a place she did not recognise. It was a vast open space, surrounded by trees and a thick fog. It nearly reminded her of the clearing that herself and Yang had once practised within in an attempt to improve her unarmed combat skill. Within the swampy glade were a number of circular stone gateways, entwined and entangled with thick roots. Within the gateways, she saw blurred images of places she recognised in the real world. She saw the Forever Falls, the Emerald Forest, the forests of Animus, the snowy peaks of Solitas, and one of the sparse oasis's of Vacuo.

She suddenly felt a hand grip her shoulder, causing her to spin around with a gasp, only to relax when she saw it was the Archdruid, though his gaze was fixated on something in front of him. When Ruby turned, she couldn't help but gasp at the sight of four gargantuan Dragons standing before her, all of them twisted and corrupted by the Nightmare.

The foremost one seemed to be the least corrupted, bearing the strongest resemblance to the majestic creature she once was. Her scales were still a verdant green and looked healthy and fresh, as did her crown of horns, though her eyes were shut tight, and seemed to flick around beneath her closed lids. The second Dragon on her left seemed to be the most twisted of them all, seemingly to the extent that his physical form was no more, and he was now nothing more but a spectre, a shadow of his former self.

On the foremost Dragon's right was another Dragon. His physical appearance was similar to that of the first, though his scales were much darker, and his horns were a blood red. The final Dragon on his right seemed to be the second worst off, her flesh and scales beginning to rot away, leaving on bone in its stead. Ruby gulped as she examined the four Dragon's, each one seemingly examining the two as they hissed and snarled. Behind the four Dragons, she saw another archway, though she did not recognise the image within, for it was simply a swirling mass of red mist and fog.

" _So, the little mortal has more fire within her than we first thought...a pity..."_ the ethereal Dragon declared, his voice echoing around her, sending premature chills down her spine.

" _It matters not!"_ the rotting Dragon shouted, her voice gravelly as if her own vocal chords were barely intact. _"Soon, she will bow to the purity of the Nightmare like all others!"_

"To think you were once amongst Ysera's most trusted Lieutenants!" Malfurion growled, gripping his staff tightly as he glared at the four Dragons. "How you have lost your way..."

" _The Dream was a lie, its power nothing in comparison to the will of the Nightmare!"_ the darkened Dragon retorted, his voice gruff and deep.

" _What choice did we have?"_ the first Dragon asked, her tone shifting between anger and sorrow. _"Delay the inevitable and be consumed? All Dreams can become Nightmares..."_

"And all Nightmares end, or have you forgotten the teachings of your own Aspect?" Malfurion argued, his eyes narrowing in concentration for an incoming attack.

" _Ysera will see the way soon enough!"_ the ethereal Dragon bellowed, his spectral eyes brimming with anger. _"The sooner she does, the better for us all!"_

" _If you will not see reason Malfurion, then you must be destroyed!"_ the rotting Dragon concluded, bloodied saliva dripping from her open mouth.

" _Farewell Archdruid, we will be sure to send both Ysera and Tyrande your regards..."_ the darkened Dragon chuckled, his eyes glinting with malicious intent.

"Taerar, Emeriss, Lethon, Ysondre! You must fight this corruption!" Malfurion urged as both himself and Ruby readied themselves for the inevitable battle. "It does not need to end like this, it is not too late."

Ruby recognised a hint of hesitation on the face of the foremost Dragon, Ysondre, though it quickly vanished as her brethren advanced forward.

" _Goodbye, Malfurion."_ Ysondre responded as she took a step forward, the marshy ground squelching between her talons.

Within an instant all four Dragons roared as they charged forward, all of them flashing their fangs as they lunged at the pair. Without hesitation, Ruby used her Semblance to dart to the left whilst Malfurion transformed into a Stormcrow, flying high into the air with a single beat of his wings. The four corrupted Dragons crashed onto the ground where the pair once were, snapping their jaws shut at empty air, hissing and growling in anger. Without another word, both Ysondre and Lethon shot into the air after Malfurion, leaving Ruby to deal with Emeriss and Taerar.

Emeriss was the first to act, her rotting face nearly unreadable as she let out a strangled roar, the back of her throat frothing with a sickly green liquid which shot out of her mouth like a bullet towards Ruby. Ruby dodged the volatile attack, watching with horror as the liquid began to bubble and hiss, seemingly melting the ground beneath it. She turned in time to see Taerar lunge forward, his glowing form illuminating the ground around him. She leapt back as the ghostly Dragon's jaws snapped shut, quickly drawing _Crescent Rose_ as she began to swing and weave the high calibre scythe out in front of her, the blade surprisingly leaving a mark on the Dragon as it reared back, snarling in anger as it shook its head and snorted loudly.

Before she could even celebrate her small victory, she turned as Emeriss let out another bellow, a thick green mist escaping her mouth. Ruby had no time to move, and was hit by the full brunt of the attack, the force sending her flying into the muddy ground with a wet thud. She began to cough and splutter as the green mist wormed its way through her mouth and nose, causing her to cough as she felt the poisonous mist burn her oesophagus. It was then in horror that she realised that something seemed to be forcing its way out of her body, or was at least trying too. She pulled back her sleeve, completely horrified when she saw her arm begin to pulsate and bulge. As she prodded the irregular growth, her skin suddenly gave way, revealing an oozing mass of fungi that billowed with the same green mist.

She felt herself begin to choke as more of the hulking masses spread throughout her body, revealing more of the fungi as they soon enough began to cover her whole body. She could only watch as Emeriss and Taerar advanced on her, their eyes glinting with delight. It was then that she saw Malfurion fly between them, the twin Dragons suddenly raising their heads as the morphed Archdruid flew past, prompting them both to lunge into the air and attack him. And it was as they ascended into the air that both Lethon and Ysondre flew past, causing them both to crash into their brethren, all four Nightmare Dragon's letting out roars of confusion and surprise as they tumbled to the ground, quickly becoming entangled with one another as each one attempted to get up.

With the Dragon's temporarily incapacitated, Malfurion shifted once again into his true form, his hands glowing with green light as he thrust them towards Ruby. Almost immediately she felt her throat clear as fresh air billowed through her lungs once again, the fungus that had threatened to devour her from inside out falling off as dead clumps, the wounds they had burst from sowing themselves up as they had done before.

"I...I can't do this..." Ruby panted as she looked at the Archdruid, a sympathetic look on his face. "I can't do this...not on my own..."

"You are afraid, my child." Malfurion reassured, placing a strong hand on Ruby's shoulder. "As long as you are clouded by fear, you will never be able to win. You must embrace your fear and control it, not let it control you."

As Malfurion spoke, Ruby turned as the Dragon's had finally freed themselves, snarling and hissing as they stared at the Archdruid. Without another word, he leapt into the air, once again transforming into a Stormcrow as both Lethon and Ysondre took to the air again after the Archdruid. Ruby then turned towards both Taerar and Emeriss, the latter already rearing her head back to unleash another cloud of deadly spores. She breathed out the fog again, Ruby this time leaping into the air over the fog, before dashing forward towards Emeriss, swinging out with _Crescent Rose_ , the blade quickly becoming lodged in the rotting Dragon's eye socket.

Emeriss roared, more in annoyance then pain as she swung her head around, trying to dislodge the red hooded Huntress. Ruby clung on with all her might as she planted her feet on the Dragons jaw, turning to see Taerar crouching down, ready to pounce. With all her might she pulled, dislodging not only her scythe, but also a large chunk of flesh and bone. As Emeriss roared in pain this time, Taerar leapt forward, Ruby changing course with her Semblance so she was right alongside the Dragon, swinging out with _Crescent Rose_ and carving into the ghostly Dragons neck. Taerar let out a roar as he tumbled forward into a landing, crashing into Emeriss and sending both to the ground with a cacophony of roars and growls. Ruby gritted her teeth as she landed, turning to face the downed Dragons. She could do this, she could take out these two, then she and Malfurion could-

There was a loud crash as something ploughed through the trees, causing Ruby to suddenly turn in its direction. Above the thicket she could see both Lethon and Ysondre, their scales covered in burns and bruises, but there was no sign of the Archdruid. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she realised the implication, quickly running towards the source of the noise. She ignored the trees snagging against her clothes as she rushed deeper into the forest. Eventually she came across the Archdruid, who was laying flat on his back, his body covered in cuts and bruises. Ruby sighed in relief when she saw that the Archdruid was still breathing, meaning he was only unconscious.

"Come on, wake up!" Ruby murmured, shaking the Archdruid violently, though he only groaned in pain in response.

She turned rapidly as she heard the sound of trees breaking, a clear sign that the Dragons were trying to make their way towards Malfurion and herself. She turned back towards Malfurion, who was still unconscious. She closed her eyes as she sighed, turning towards the encroaching Dragon's. Gripping _Crescent Rose_ tightly, she ran towards the source of the noise, quickly catching sight of both Lethon and Ysondre uprooting trees as they attempted to clear a path towards Malfurion, both Taerar and Emeriss standing back as they nursed their wounds.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby shifted _Crescent Rose_ into its Sniper form, taking aim at Lethon's snout. Her rifle went off with a loud crack, a bullet jolting forward towards the corrupted Dragon, causing him to roar in pain and anger as it clipped his nasal horn, the tip flying high into the air with a ping. All four Dragon's paused as they looked around in confusion, letting out angry hisses and growls. She fired another shot, this time at Emeriss, the bullet easily cleaving through her rotting flesh and out the other side with ease, causing the Dragon to shriek in pain as it nearly collapsed in a heap. She turned and fired a shot at Ysondre, the bullet piercing her brow and nearly taking out her eye. With three of the Dragon's incapacitated with pain, she turned towards Taerar, the final Dragon who was looking around with apprehension. She took aim, hoping to put a bullet right through the ethereal Dragon's eyes. She pulled the trigger and fired, only to watch in shock as the bullet passed harmlessly through the ghostly Dragon.

Her mouth went agape as Taerar turned towards Ruby, letting out a victorious snarl as he leered at the young Huntress. She gulped as Taerar let out a roar, his body suddenly vibrating as he split into two, the other Dragon's quickly turning towards her as well. Ruby hefted her weapon and began to move as Taerar and his clone charged towards her hiding place, crushing anything in their way. Ruby leapt towards a tree, the shadow clone quickly rearing up on its hind legs as it leaned against the tree, attempting to close its jaws on her in an attempt to pull her down. Ruby ran up the tree, feeling the force of the snapping jaws behind her as she ascended. As she neared the top of the tree, she lunged forward towards the real Taerar, spinning around frantically with _Crescent Rose_ in scythe form. She felt herself plough through the Dragon, the ghostly creature letting out an ear piercing screech as his body began to disappear around her. As she landed, she could hear the angry cries of despair from the clone as it began to disintegrate into nothingness, nothing left to anchor it to the world.

" _Impossible!"_ Emeriss cried out frantically as she began to subtly back away from Ruby, her orb like eyes wide with fear.

" _How?! How can a mere mortal defeat one of us?!"_ Lethon asked, looking towards Emeriss as he spoke.

"Because I'm not afraid of you! Not any more!" Ruby shouted back, causing all three Dragon's to turn and face her. "That's why you accepted the Nightmare wasn't it? It wasn't because it was stronger, or the truer path, it was because you were afraid. Xavius played on your fear and turned it against you! It's not too late though, you can still fight it!"

As she spoke, both Emeriss and Lethon reared their heads back and laughed, before turning towards Ruby with hate in their eyes.

" _Foolish mortal, or you really so gullible?"_ Emeriss hissed, taking a step forward as she let out a low growl.

" _She's...she's right..."_

All heads turned towards Ysondre, who was hesitantly stepping back from the other two Dragon's, her eyes now slightly open, and filled with horror at the sights around her.

" _The Dream...what-..._ what have we done?!" Ysondre cried out in horror, her voice shifting away from the sinister undertone that she had spoken with earlier.

Her gaze then focused upon both Lethon and Emeriss, her horrified expression suddenly shifting into one of anger. Both Emeriss and Lethon backed away from their former brethren, until finally Lethon charged Ysondre, the latter quickly leaping into the air with a beat of her wings, Lethon quickly giving chase after her. Emeriss quickly spun her decaying head towards Ruby, snarling in anger before rushing towards her like a maddened beast.

Ruby met her with her own charge, dropping to her knees as Emeriss leapt over her and sliding beneath the gargantuan Dragon. As she neared the tip of the tail, she swung _Crescent Rose_ out, the blade quickly impaling itself into the Dragon's flesh. Emeriss let out a shriek as she turned to face her tail, quickly leaping into the air and flying high above the thicket.

As the Dragon flew higher, Ruby used her Semblance to run along the Dragon's back before raising her Scythe above her head and impaling the blade in her back, where her wings connected. Emeriss froze mid air as she let out a hideous shriek, giving Ruby ample time to pull her blade free, causing the Dragon to let loose another cry as it quivered violently. With the Dragon still frozen in pain, Ruby ran along towards where the skull and neck connected. Leaping into the air and pooling what little energy she had left into her Semblance, she let out a defiant yell as swung out with _Crescent Rose_ , charging forward. She heard the severing of flesh and the snapping of bone before feeling both hit her body, followed immediately by the rush of wind as she landed feet first back on the marshy ground.

She felt the earth shudder as the corpse of Emeriss crashed into the ground behind her, followed swiftly by the Dragon's head, her eyes still wide in shock. It was then that she felt the full brunt of her attack take its toll on her as her muscles began to ache and scream in pain. She collapsed onto her knees as she took deep breaths, trying her best to calm herself. It was then she heard the large form of a second Dragon crash into the ground beside her, nearly soaking her in the marshy mud. She turned to see Lethon, sprawled on his back with his body covered in cuts and bruises, writhing around in an attempt to right himself.

Eventually, he managed to turn himself right, shaking his body before turning towards the dead body of Emeriss, his eyes wide with shock at the sight of his dead comrade. His gaze then shifted to Ruby, his eyes narrowing into slits as he began to march towards the tired Huntress. Before he could get far however, the form of Ysondre crashed into, sending him sprawling onto his back again with the redeemed Dragon on top. Lethon hissed loudly, quickly lunging his head towards Ysondre's neck, though the Dragon was quick to dodge the snake like strike. It was then that Lethon thrust forth with his claws, the blood red talons easily piercing through the Dragons flesh.

Ysondre roared in pain as she flew into the air, pulling herself free from the attack, though this only seemed to make the wound much worse. Before Lethon could capitalise on his attack though, Ysondre was upon him once again, this time using her forearms to pin the Dragons head to the ground before biting down on his neck, her jaws tightening until at last there was a sickening crack. Ruby watched with slight awe as Lethon's body went limp and Ysondre released her grip stumbling away from the carcass of her former ally, before collapsing herself in a heap, her breathing ragged. Ruby was quick to rush to the Dragon's side, kneeling before her head and placing a hand on her snout.

"Is it...done?" Ysondre asked, tears beginning to drip from the dying Dragon's now open eyes.

Ruby didn't answer, instead focusing on the Dragon's wounds. Whilst fewer then the ones Lethon had endured before his death, they were certainly more grievous, especially his final attack, her insides beginning to spill out of the open wound.

"Yes...it's finished...they can't hurt anyone any more." Ruby replied, Ysondre letting out a sombre yet relieved sigh at the Huntresses words.

"Stop Xavius...save Ysera...before it is too late..." Ysondre implored, her eyes suddenly going wide as if new life had entered them. "At last...the long dream comes."

Ysondre's eyes then began to roll back as her lids closed once again, and the Green Dragon let out one final breath before going still. Ruby let out a sigh as she rested her forehead against the dead Dragon's head. She didn't even register the sound of Malfurion approaching, not even registering his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh Ysondre...how cruel fate can be. Cleansed of the Nightmare, only to meet the same end as her brethren." Malfurion murmured, placing his free hand on the Dragon's snout, his palm glowing softly before he retracted hi hand. "May you find peace at last, old friend."

Ruby backed away respectfully from the fallen Dragon, bowing her head slightly before turning towards the archway the Dragon's had been so zealously guarding. Malfurion followed her gaze, before both approached the swirling vortex of red mist.

"This is it. This is the gateway to the Eye of Ysera." Malfurion announced, his gaze focused on the churning maelstrom of energy before them.

"How can you be sure?" Ruby asked, trying to focus on the gateway.

"This realm is-...was the Emerald Dreamway." Malfurion told her, gesturing to their surroundings as he spoke. "It was here, in ages past, that I communed with the Green Dragonflight. Whilst those days are long gone, they are still fresh in my memory. These gateways allow access, not only to the physical world, but also to places of power within the Dream. This gateway in particular, leads to Ysera's domain."

"And there we'll find Ysera?" Ruby asked, turning to face the Archdruid.

"Yes, I am certain of it." Malfurion responded, before stepping forward through the gateway, becoming consumed by the red vortex.

Ruby looked warily, trying to discern any image within the vortex, only to find none. With a loud and audible gulp, Ruby closed her eyes, quickly jumping through the gateway before she could stop herself…

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 **And chapter done. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in reviews. Next chapter will be out December 9th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	20. The Heart of Corruption

**Hello everyone! Another day, another chapter. Hope you're all enjoying the new Raid, Antorus the Burning Throne and I hope you all get the loot you're looking for. No review responses this time so let's get right into it. Now, on with the show!**

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 **Chapter 20- The Heart of Corruption**

Asira watched with feigned interest at the multiple forest critters went about their business, nearly all of them corrupted by the effects of the Nightmare. She turned her head slightly at the sound of flesh being torn, met instantly with the sight of her Twilight Grimm ripping off chunks of flesh from the corpse of a great cat that had been foolish enough to get within range of its fangs and claws. She sighed silently as she instead opted to examine one of her daggers, being careful not to cut herself as she rubbed the poison dosed rag onto the blade. Ruby Rose would be hers, one way or another. After all the trouble she had caused her, she would even be willing to kill her for free. The fact that she was being paid just made it all the more satisfying.

She heard a twig snapping behind her and she spun with lightning fast reflexes, shifting the dagger into its pistol form and aiming it in the direction of the noise. Her Twilight Grimm stopped in its feasting and snarled, bits of flesh still caught in its teeth. It was then that the unmistakable form of a Night Elf appeared before her, their body wrapped tightly in a simple brown hooded robe in an attempt to hide their features. She probably would have shot the Night Elf then and there if it wasn't for the fact that she had seen the broach that held the top half of the robe in place. A broach with the seal of the Twilight's Hammer.

"The Hour of Twilight is nigh, friend..." the Night Elf said, taking another step forward as they spoke.

"Indeed it is..." Asira said, gently lowering her pistol. Had it been anyone else within one of the major cities, she would have certainly required more than just a simple phrase to solidify their identity as an agent. But out here, in Night Elven lands, the words of the Hammer were less known. "Is she there?"

"Yes, she is." the Night Elf replied, hastily nodding their head as they spoke. "But you must hurry! I fear she is about to ruin your plans."

"How so?" Asira asked, raising the brow of her good eye as she spoke.

"She has been allowed access to the Dream in an attempt to destroy the Nightmare. If she succeeds, then Ysera will be free and my treachery made known!" the Night Elf answered, their voice filled with worry. "You promised me that if I aided you, you would ensure that I would-"

"You need not worry about that, my dear." Asira interrupted quickly, causing the Night Elf to scowl slightly. "Even if the Nightmare is defeated, their Aspect won't live to tell your secret."

The Night Elf raised an eyebrow as Asira turned her head towards the Twilight Grimm, who let out a near sadistic snarl as it licked its bloodied lips. Without another word, the Night Elf let out a sigh and nodded their head in understanding.

"Is the distraction ready?" Asira asked, shifting her weapon back into its dagger from before sheathing the poisoned blade.

"Yes, it is." the Night Elf responded, their voice gaining a noticeable tang of disgust. "The Gnolls, the disgusting creatures, have been shown the location of the weapon caches. They will be ready to assault the Moonglade shortly and provide you with enough of a distraction to slip in unnoticed."

"Good, I will be waiting for them." Asira responded sinisterly, the cowled Night Elf nodding once before disappearing into the tree line and out of sight.

As Asira went to approach the Twilight Grimm, the Draconic beast suddenly let out a snarl of unease as its head spun around, its nostrils flaring. As Asira went to calm the beast, she paused as she felt it too. Something wasn't quite right. She could feel a presence watching them, one that was strangely familiar, if only slightly. She shook her head, choosing instead to ignore the feeling of paranoia. She hopped onto the back of the Twilight Grimm, gently kicking its side. The Draconic Grimm let out a shrill roar as it reared slightly before leaping into the air and taking off, both unaware of the pair of large fiery eyes watching them.

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When Ruby stepped through the other side of the rift, she didn't know what to expect on the other side. With her luck in the Nightmare, she half expected to simply fall into a pit of maggots, or a spiders web, or even a swamp filled with flesh eating insects. So she was pleasantly surprised to feel soft earth beneath her feet, and greeted by the sight of a vast jungle, Malfurion not far in front of her. She took a step forward, only for the Archdruid to hold a hand out to stop her. She gave the Night Elf a questioning look before he pointed further ahead, where Ruby could see the outline of a vast dead tree, the blackened bark sprouting hundreds of fleshy tendrils, with a giant bloodshot eye in the trees trunk, scanning the surrounding area.

"What...is that?" Ruby asked with a sense of dread, a foreboding sense overcoming her as she somewhat recognised the iris.

"That is Il'gynoth, the Heart of Corruption." Malfurion explained, his tone one of disgust. "That is the focal point of the Nightmare."

"It seems...familiar..." Ruby murmured, shivering slightly as the eye seemed to stare directly at her, only to shift its focus again.

"It is the same fiend that tried to kill you when you first entered the Dream." Malfurion responded, casing Ruby to grit her teeth slightly. "But if the fiend is here, then that must mean-"

The Archdruid was cut off by a shrill and panicked roar. Both turned to the source of the roar and let out silent gasps of horror. Before them, lying near the tree, was the graceful form of Ysera, and she was in pain. Large, thorny vines were wrapped around her body, pinning her to the ground and digging into her skin, trickles of blood dripping down where the thorns pierced flesh. The great Aspect let out another roar, only for a vine to whip itself around her neck, causing her to choke as it forced her upper half to the ground, where she let out a mournful groan as more vines began to entomb her.

"No!" Malfurion yelled, quickly shifting into the form of a large bird as he flew swiftly to the fallen Aspect.

"Malfurion, wait!" Ruby shouted, reaching out in a vain attempt to stop the Archdruid.

The Eye of Il'gynoth suddenly shifted towards the Archdruid, many of the fleshy tendrils whipping out to snare him. The Archdruid was fast, dodging many of the tendrils until at last he was struck, the force of the blow causing him to shift back into his Night Elven form as he fell to the earth, only to be caught by a second tendril, which wrapped itself tightly around him. Without thinking, Ruby charged into the fray, cutting through the tendrils as they shot towards her. Even so, the tendrils kept coming, quickly swarming her in an attempt to overwhelm her.

One shot out and struck her weapon from her hand, quickly disarming her. Two more tendrils quickly gripped her by her wrists, suspending them in the air whilst a third, larger one wrapped around her midsection. She struggled and kicked the air in an attempt to free herself, only to be met by failure. She felt the tendrils quickly pull her towards the Eye of Il'gynoth, the bloodshot pupil seemingly boring into her soul. She was quickly joined by the Archdruid, who also struggled to escape the bind.

"So, the mighty Malfurion Stormrage has at long last been captured, by a tumour nonetheless...how very disappointing."

Both Ruby and Malfurion swivelled their heads at the sound of the voice, quickly greeted by the sight of its owner, Xavius, who was crouched on one of the lower branches of the dead tree. The dreaded Satyr let out a menacing sneer as he proceeded to leap onto the sodden grass below, the ground literally dying as his hooves touched it. He then proceeded to approach Malfurion, who was lowered closer to the ground by the tendril so he was nearly face to face.

"I will enjoy cutting you to ribbons, Archdruid." Xavius gloated, smiling sinisterly as he flashed his talons. "Just as I will enjoy slaughtering your beloved Tyrande."

"So says the shadow of Xavius." Malfurion boldly responded, causing the Satyr Lord to flinch slightly. "There is no point hiding it, you are not as strong as you were in life, and what power you have is kept maintaining your form!"

Xavius snarled as he tightened his knuckles, his eyes glowing with rage as the Archdruid smiled back in response. Then with sudden swiftness, Xavius struck out at the Archdruid, clawing the side of his face with his claws, causing the Archdruid to let out a growl of discomfort at the blow.

"I have enough power to kill you though, and your little friend..." Xavius sneered back, flashing his decaying teeth as he let out a mighty roar.

Ruby didn't know what to expect, she half expected to suddenly feel pain all over her body, or perhaps even a sense of unconsciousness, but nothing happened. That was when she heard the first tremor. Then another, and another. She then turned her head towards one of the many still pools, only to see it ripple slightly as another tremor echoed around her, this one much louder and closer. It was then she heard the angry roar, and she turned her head only to let out a silent gasp.

Walking towards her and the Archdruid was a very, very big Dinosaur. It strode forward with two powerful muscular hind legs, whilst a pair of stunted forelimbs stretched out in front of it. Its tail was almost as long as a Bullhead, and its head was as large as a car and its maw filled to the brim with rows of teeth. A row of bony spines stretched out across its back, and its hide was a brownish grey with yellow tiger-like stripes running across it. Its eyes were red and filled with an unnatural rage, giving Ruby all the evidence she needed to know the creature was possessed by the Nightmare.

What was more was that she knew exactly what this creature was from history books back at Beacon: a Devilsaur, one of the largest predators in history. She had also read that they had been hunted to extinction by the Mantle Empire during its glory days, causing Ruby to make two assumptions. One; all life was connected to the Dream allowing the spirit of a long dead Devilsaur to reincarnate within the Dream. Or two; Devilsaur's were still very much alive and active still.

As soon as the Tyrannid spotted Ruby, it let out a savage growl as it began to stalk towards her, gaining speed with each step it took. Ruby struggled more and more as the Devilsaur approached her, its maw open ready to snap her in two. She braced herself for the end, only for a flash of green to suddenly crash into the Dinosaur, causing it to roar in confusion and stumble to the ground. Ruby's eyes flashed to the sky, as did the eyes of Malfurion, Xavius, Ysera and even Il'gynoth.

It was then that she saw the shape of a large green Dragon in the sky, the mighty creature letting out a roar as it spat out another blast of green energy, this time at Il'gynoth. As soon as the blast hit the parasite, it let out a haunting cry as its tendrils flailed around madly, dropping both Ruby and Malfurion in the process. Xavius let out a cry of anger as he raised his palm out towards the Dragon, a volley of blackish red energy erupting out towards the Dragon. The emerald Dragon swiftly dodged the blasts, before spitting out more green energy at the Satyr, who quickly vanished in a cloud of red mist before the blast could hit him.

Ruby landed on her feet before quickly grabbing _Crescent Rose_ before turning to Malfurion, who held a glowing hand to his face, the claw marks from Xavius quickly healing. Both turned to greet their saviour, who landed quickly before them. The Dragon was large, not as large as Ysera, but larger than most. What was more, Ruby recognised him from outside the Dream.

"Eranikus?!" Malfurion stated, confirming Ruby's suspicions. "It is good to see you again, old friend. We thought you lost to the Nightmare!"

"I nearly was, but I stayed the course." the Dragon, Eranikus, replied, nodding his reptilian head towards Ruby. "Who is the Human?"

"My name is Ruby, Ruby Rose. I'm here to help." Ruby answered, half expecting to have to explain herself to the Dragon as she had to with Malfurion. Fortunately, the Dragon seemed to focused to press on.

"I'm sure the circumstances that have brought you here are interesting, but it will have to wait for another time." Eranikus quickly explained, before turning to the Nightmare tumour. "Right now we must purge this infestation once and for all."

"Myself and the girl will deal with this Heart of Corruption." Malfurion stated, Ruby nodding her head in agreement.

"Good, I will free Ysera. Perhaps with her help the infestation will be cleared faster." Eranikus suggested, earning nods from both Malfurion and Ruby in return.

Eranikus was quick to turn and make his way towards the fallen Aspect, his talons uprooting the earth. Yet as Ruby and Malfurion made their way to the tree, she caught sight of the possessed Devilsaur, its hide scorched and burned making a beeline for Eranikus, its mouth open in preparation for a bite. Before she could even yell out a warning, the Devilsaur bit down on Eranikus' neck, causing the Dragon to let out a cry of pain as he was forced to the ground.

"Don't worry my child, Eranikus will be fine." Malfurion consoled, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder in an attempt to turn her away. "Right now we need to focus on Il'gynoth."

"Okay..." Ruby reluctantly said, turning away from the battle between the Dragon and Dinosaur.

Eranikus shook his head in an attempt to dislodge the predatory Dinosaur before forcing himself up, thrashing around before finally freeing himself. As he did so, he lunged at the Devilsaur, which swiftly stepped back and snarled before ramming its side into Eranikus. The Dragon roared and snapped its jaws, managing to scrape away flesh from the base of its tail with claw and talon, causing the Devilsaur to snarl in discomfort. The Devilsaur backed away with a growl before charging head first at Eranikus, head butting the Dragon, who staggered to the side in a poor attempt to dodge the move.

Taking advantage to the Devilsaur's sudden disorientation, Eranikus stepped towards the Dinosaur and bit down on its neck. The Devilsaur let out a strangled and panicked roar as it attempted to dislodge the Dragon, who attempted to hold it in place by grasping hold of the base of its neck and brow with his forearms. With a muffled roar of his own, Eranikus twisted the head anticlockwise, a sickening snap echoing as its neck was broken. Without so much as another word, Eranikus released his grip on the now dead Devilsaur, its lifeless body flopping to the ground with a thud. Yet as the victorious Dragon turned to focus his attention on Ysera, life seemed to return to the Devilsaur, its head lopping back into place with a crack, followed by an angry roar.

As the battle between the Dragon and Devilsaur was reignited, Ruby and Malfurion charged towards Il'gynoth, the Nightmare amalgamation quickly sprouting a multitude of tendrils to intercept them. They did battle with he many limbs, brining a swift end to them with both steel and magic. It was then as the tide began to turn in their favour that a thick red mist suddenly sprang in front of them, quickly morphing into the shape of Xavius, who cackled madly as he let loose a beam of dark energy, fully intent on consuming the both of them. Malfurion was quick to respond, firing a beam of green energy which collided with Xavius' own beam. Ruby did her best to shield her eyes as the two beams crackled against one another, spitting out volatile globs of primal energy.

"Ruby! Watch out!" Malfurion warned through gritted teeth, most of his concentration focused on halting Xavius.

Ruby turned too late as one of the tendrils snapped out at her, sending her tumbling towards a nearby tree with a loud thud. Before she could even regain her senses, a second tendril erupted from the earth in front of her, though this one bore a snake like head with needle like teeth, with a swirl of similar looking mouths for eyes.

" _At last, the feeding hour..."_ she heard the voice of Il'gynoth whisper, the snake like tendril hissing loudly in anticipation.

With another hiss, the tendril lunged forward, Ruby only just bringing _Crescent Rose_ up in front of her to block the strike. She could feel the hot air billow out of its mouths as it pushed against Ruby, fully intent on either getting close enough to outmanoeuvre the Scythe or simply pulling it from her grasp. As Ruby struggled against the monstrosity before her, her eyes trailed to the Archdruid and his battle. He was tired, she could tell simply by looking at both his form and the beam he was powering. His arms shook and his legs buckled, whilst the beam was getting noticeably smaller with every passing second, all whilst Xavius stepped closer, the sneer on his face growing larger with every passing second.

There was a crash as both Eranikus and the now resurrected Devilsaur burst through the clearing, the latter quickly biting onto Eranikus' neck, causing the Dragon to roar as it pulled itself free, the Devilsaur instead resorting to using its neck to push Eranikus down and grip a hold of him again. Eranikus roared and thrashed his tail around, attempting to dislodge the Dinosaur, twisting his neck to deliver a crunching bite, causing the Devilsaur to release its grip on him as both backed away from one another. As Eranikus lunged forward, the Devilsaur swerved out of the way, biting onto the scaly flesh on the back of his neck, Eranikus shrieking as he shook himself free, only for the Devilsaur to once again bite his neck, causing him to roar in pain.

As the Devilsaur released its grip in an attempt to deliver a more secure bite, Eranikus swung out with his forearms, scratching away flesh and muscle at the neck and skull and pushing it down. As the Devilsaur attempted to use its head to tip the Dragon onto its side, Eranikus instead did the same, successfully forcing the Dinosaur onto its flank. With the advantage, Eranikus began to bite down on its neck, causing the Devilsaur to cry out in pain as it uselessly kicked its legs out. Taking another bite, Eranikus flung the Dinosaur into a nearby tree, causing it to crack and break from the force. As the Devilsaur attempted to stand, Eranikus forced the reptile down by the neck, ready to deliver a lethal bite to kill the creature.

" _Out! Out! You are not yet worthy!"_ the voice of Il'gynoth roared, causing Eranikus to look up as a barrage of tendrils suddenly shot out at the Dragon, forcing him back as he attempted to deter them.

Xavius noticed this and cackled wildly, raising his free hand and shooting a bolt of black lightning at the defeated Devilsaur, who's scales soon began to glow with red energy as it gained a second wind. As Eranikus struggled to combat the tendrils, the Devilsaur lunged forward, biting down on the Dragons neck and pushing him into a tree. As Eranikus attempted to right himself, the Devilsaur bit down on his skull, quickly throwing him into another tree as more tendrils lashed out at him, stripping away flesh with every strike. Then, as Eranikus attempted to retaliate with a breath attack, a barrage of tendrils lashed out at his face, forcing their way down his mouth, nearly causing the Dragon to vomit in response. As the tendrils exited the Dragons mouth, the Devilsaur rammed into his side, knocking him to the ground. As Eranikus struggled to rise, more tendrils erupted from the ground and began to wrap around the Dragon, constricting him with a sickening crunch.

" _If you will not yield to the whispers, then you will be consumed Dragon!"_ Il'gynoth seethed as a new set of tendrils erupted from the ground, these ones with bone like protrusions at the tips. They easily pierced the Dragons hide, causing him to let out a shriek of pain as they began to bleed him dry.

Eranikus struggled to free himself from the deadly trap, only for the tendrils to tighten in response. As he struggled, he caught sight of those around him. Ruby had her back against a tree, one of the snake like tendrils pinning her to surface as it attempted to kill her. Malfurion was nearly finished, the Archdruid exhausted as Xavius approached his weakening body nearly uncontested. And Ysera, her body nearly entombed in vines, her breathing slowing down as her strength was slowly sapped. He turned his head towards Il'gynoth, his large eye boring a hole into his soul. He may not be close enough for fang and claw, and he dare not attempt another breath attack, but he was close enough for something else.

"Ysera, my love...know that I always loved you..." Eranikus murmured, tears beginning to stream from his eyes.

With a final and desperate roar, Eranikus broke free from the tendrils of Il'gynoth, causing black blood to spurt from the earth as the corruption let out a shrill scream. Ruby, Malfurion and Xavius all stopped as they turned to face the commotion, Eranikus charging Il'gynoth. The Devilsaur attempted to intercept, only for Eranikus to bite down on its neck and throw it at the tree in which Il'gynoth was embedded in. Pushing the Devilsaur against the tree as it thrashed to break free, Eranikus began to call upon what little power he had left, his scales glowing a fluorescent green. There was then a flash of light from within the Dragon as he was seemingly consumed from within by a vortex of energy. The Devilsaur was dragged through with a cry of its own, followed by Il'gynoth himself, the nightmarish entity quickly being devoured, all its tendrils being pulled through with it.

Xavius roared in fury as he quickly vanished from sight, Malfurion trying his best to remain rooted. The tendril in front of Ruby let out a shrill hiss as it too was pulled through, Ruby flashing a victorious grin until she realised she too was about to be pulled through, thrusting _Crescent Rose_ into the ground to stop herself from being pulled in. She then felt herself drop to the ground with an undignified grunt, brushing her clothes off as she turned to face Malfurion, the Archdruid panting as he tried to rise up. Both then turned to where Eranikus had made his sacrifice, nothing remaining save for a simple crater.

"Ysera..." Malfurion quietly whispered, turning rapidly towards where the Aspect was laid. He let out a relieved sigh as he caught sight of the Aspect, her body covered in now dead vines and her breathing more steady.

Both himself and Ruby dashed towards the Aspect, who was groaning loudly as she attempted to stand, only to fall short.

"Is she going to be okay?" Ruby asked, her mind racked with worry. In response, Malfurion placed a hand on the Dragon's snout, letting out a silent sigh before turning to Ruby.

"She will live, she just needs time." Malfurion responded with a smile.

"Time which she will not get!" a voice echoed around them, before delving into a familiar mad cackle. Ruby knew immediately it was Xavius talking, though he sounded different, almost more whole.

"You were right Malfurion, what you saw WAS merely a shadow! But most of my power wasn't used to maintain my form, it was used to empower the Heart! A Heart your pitiful friend just destroyed..."

Malfurion's mouth began to open as a sense of dread overcame him and Ruby, a shroud of fog forming before them.

"Now, you will bow down before my true form!"

There was a sudden crash as both Ruby and Malfurion saw the outline of a large monstrous figure appear before them. Their hooves were studded with nails, and their goat like legs were stunted, almost as if they couldn't hold the weight of their own body, which was large and glistened with red veins that threatened to burst through the ash grey skin. They had arms like tree trunks, the forearm of which were covered in a thick black biomass, red crystal like claws adorning the end of each finger. Black wings erupted from their backs, whilst their head hunched forward, almost Satyr like in appearance were it not for the long forked tongue that dangled freely from their mouth, a rusty iron bolt piercing the end.

Even though she had never seen a Satyr like this before, she knew who it was. She recognised the twisted and malformed face, as well as the hate filled eyes that bore into both herself and Malfurion.

The eyes of Xavius.

 **00000000**

 **And done! Liked it? Feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your review. Next update will be December 30th for two reasons. One: it's very close to Christmas and I would very much like to spend time with my family. And two: around same time last year, I went out with some friends the night before a scheduled update, got drunk and was too hungover to deliver an update. Hope you all understand. Happy holidays!**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	21. The Nightmare Lord

**I'm back! Boy, this update sure did creep up on me. The end is nigh with this fic, so let's get right to the review responses shall we. Shadowwolf1997; glad you liked that little Easter Egg. And OnyxRex; What? Who-...who said anything about Ebonhorn? Hahaha...errr… Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 21- The Nightmare Lord**

Ruby felt every muscle in her body tremble at the sight of the mutated Satyr Lord, his body completely twisted by the power of the Nightmare. It wasn't necessarily the fact that his form was terrifying. In fact, she thought he looked rather ridiculous with his massive belly and stunted legs. But the raw power that oozed out of him and the potency of it, that was what terrified her. If this thing had been present in any one of the four cities, she was confident the Grimm would be drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

Her train of thought was cut off as she heard the Satyr Lord suddenly roar out in fury as he charged both herself and the Archdruid, one of his gargantuan arms raised above him. Ruby dashed to the side with assistance from her Semblance, whilst Malfurion quickly shifted into the form of a Stormcrow, flying out of reach of the massive claws as they crashed down into the earth. Ruby quickly shifted _Crescent Rose_ into its Sniper form, firing rounds into the flesh of Xavius, though they didn't even seem to dent his skin.

Laughing maniacally, the Satyr Lord swung out at Ruby, who barely had enough time to leap out of the way of the swing, let alone the counter swing that followed. As the Satyr Lord prepared for another strike against the young Huntress, a pillar of moonfire suddenly crashed down on top of Xavius, causing him to fall on all fours. As he was continuously bathed in moonfire, Xavius slammed his fists into the ground and let out a haunting roar as he slowly turned to face the oppressor, Malfurion. The Nightmare Lord turned and began to charge the Archdruid, who held his hands aloft as he began to pour more Lunar energy into the air around him. Then, as the Nightmare Lord was mere inches away from the Archdruid, he unleashed the gathered power at the twisted Satyr, who let out a shrill roar as his whole form was consumed by Lunar energy, the flames so intense they scorched the ground around them, causing a pillar of smoke to form around the glow, dimming it slightly. As Ruby approached the cloud of smoke, expecting to find nothing left but a charred corpse, she couldn't help but gasp in horror as she saw the blood coloured eyes of Xavius rise up in the fog, followed once more by his haunting laugh.

"Impossible..." Malfurion whispered, his eyes filled with dread at the sight before him. "That blast was enough to level the Moonglade ten times over!"

As if in retort to his statement, the Nightmare Lord rose up once again, clearing the fog fully, showing he bore no wound what so ever from the assault. Not only that, but Ruby was fully confident that the creature had somehow grown taller as well.

"I'll slice into the hearts of you, fools!" Xavius roared, the two wings on his back suddenly thrusting themselves into the scorched earth.

Almost immediately, a wave of blades suddenly spiralled towards both Ruby and Malfurion, both barely having enough time to dodge the fan of deadly blades. Almost as soon as the blades had passed them did Xavius attack again, this time breathing out a cone of red mist towards the two. Malfurion was quick to shift into a Stormcrow again, flying away from the mist like substance. Ruby however, had barely any time to dodge the attack, falling to her knees as she felt the mist enter her lungs, causing her to cough and retch violently on the spot.

"Yes...embrace the Nightmare...let it take you!" she heard Xavius say, though his voice sounded foggy, almost as if it weren't there.

She saw her vision shift as she found herself no longer in the Eye of Ysera, but back in her home at Patch, though it looked to be in a state of disrepair, like it had been torn apart from the inside. Furniture had been stabbed into, wallpaper and pictures had been sliced into...and there was blood. So much blood.

" _Where is your sister?!"_ she heard a voice say, a voice filled with malice.

" _Bite me, asshole!"_ she heard a female voice respond, followed immediately by the sound of flesh being hit and the voices owner crying out in pain. A voice she was now beginning to recognise.

"Yang..." Ruby whispered as she approached its source, quickly bursting down the door into the kitchen where she saw the sight of four Twilight Hammer cultists standing around Yang, who had been tied to a chair and had all the tell tale signs of torture carved across her body.

" _You really think that attitude will save you?!"_ the cultist asked, one hand grasped around the hilt of his blade already.

" _You'll see."_ Yang responded, nodding to the window as she spoke. _"Any minute now, my sis will probably come bursting through that window and kick all your asses."_

" _Is that so?"_ the cultist chuckled in a humoured manner. _"You mean like how she was going to save you father? Do you remember what happened to him?"_

Ruby had heard enough. Powering all her energy into her Semblance, she charged into the room...only to fall short at the doorway. With a confused murmur, she tried to walk through the doorway with her weapon in hand, only to look around in confusion to see it had vanished. As she continued to look for her weapon, she froze at the sound of a weapon being drawn, turning quickly to see that the cultist was now holding his blade against Yang's throat.

" _Last chance. Where is your sister?!"_

" _She'll be here any second now, just you wait."_ Yang responded, her voice strained due to the knife at her throat.

" _So be it."_

The cultist cut open Yang's throat, a wave of blood suddenly spluttering out of the open wound, causing her to choke and cough violently as her life essence left her.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted, charging into the room one final time, only for a force to send her flying into a wall, where she then felt something begin to crush her chest.

She struggled to breath as the invisible force continued to press against her, no doubt breaking one or two ribs in the process. It was then that the misty outline of her house began to vanish, and she was no longer pressed against a house wall, but an earthy ground. And it was then that she saw it was no longer an invisible force that kept her pinned to the ground, but the hoof of Xavius himself. She saw the Satyr Lord leer at her as he continued to press down, Ruby hearing more then one bone crack as more and more pressure was applied. And then, just as she felt her Aura was about to give, a swarm of vines suddenly began to swarm Xavius, causing the Satyr Lord to roar in frustration as the vines ripped him away from Ruby, before seemingly encasing him in an earthly tomb. She turned and saw the Archdruid approach her, one hand held out to the multitude of vines as they tried to contain the Nightmare Lord.

"That will not hold him for long..." Malfurion stated as Ruby began to rise. Almost as if to clarify that statement, there was a loud crack as some of the vines began to break apart, parts of the Nightmare Lord already visible once again.

"How can we beat him?" Ruby asked, looking at Malfurion imploringly for an answer. In response, the Archdruid nodded towards the fallen form of Ysera, who still lay unconscious.

"I fear only the Aspect of the Dream herself can save us now." Malfurion responded, causing Ruby's heart to sink slightly at the statement.

"But she's not at full strength yet, how can she help us?" Ruby asked, the sounds of more vines snapping heard as one of Xavius' arms tore itself free from its bindings.

"I have an answer to that...though I need you to keep the attention of the Nightmare Lord." Malfurion replied, turning to Ruby as he spoke.

"Of course you do..." Ruby deadpanned with a slight scowl. Before Ruby could argue against the idea, the sound of more vines snapping echoed around them as Xavius broke fully free from the prison, laughing menacingly as he brushed away the few vines that remained.

"Go! Now!" Malfurion ordered as he dashed towards the fallen Aspect, Xavius already turning to face the Archdruid with sadistic malice.

"Hey!" Ruby shouted, firing round after round from _Crescent Rose_ at the Nightmare Lord, who turned rapidly at the sound of the Huntresses voice, a scowl on his face present. "That's right! Over here!"

The Nightmare Lord began to turn and charged towards Ruby, the ground shaking with each and every step he took. Ruby charged him headlong, dashing forward with occasional assistance from her Semblance. As she neared, Xavius swung down with his arm, Ruby dodging the blow with a single leap. Xavius then breathed out the red fog again, Ruby this time ready for the attack as she sent her Semblance into overdrive, creating a mini tornado around her, the red fog billowing away from her before dispersing altogether. Xavius roared in frustration, swinging out with his arm again, hitting Ruby and sending her flying into the air.

Before the Satyr Lord could laugh out in triumph, Ruby used her Semblance to dash straight towards the Satyr Lord. Xavius swung out with his arm, Ruby diving beneath the blow and landing on the ground with a soft thud. She then leapt onto the Satyr Lord's back, hacking and slashing with _Crescent Rose_ but to seemingly no effect. Leaping off of the Satyr, she turned instead to his hooves, more specifically to the nail studs in them. If she couldn't create a wound of her own, then she'd just have to exploit ones that already existed.

As Xavius swung out to grab her, she ducked beneath the swing and leapt onto his hoof. The Satyr Lord looked down in annoyance and began to shake his hoof about, similar to one trying to remove a tuft of dirt from their boot. Ruby did her best to hold onto the hoof, using her Scythe to hook onto the head of the nail. As Xavius lowered his hoof, Ruby then began to manoeuvre the blade of her weapon under the nail head, trying her best to utilise it as a can opener. Using all of her strength, she pulled upwards, though the nail didn't even budge once. In fact, she was confident her blade would probably break before the nail would even move. So instead, she opted for plan B. If she couldn't remove the nail, she was going to have to drive it in.

Leaping into the air with assistance from her Semblance, she then dashed down again, slamming the back of _Crescent Rose_ into the head of the nail, driving it deeper into the hoof. There was a sudden shrill cry of pain from Xavius as the nail was driven into his hoof, embedded completely into it. With a roar of fury, Xavius kicked out with his leg, sending Ruby flying into a tree with a loud crack. She fell limply towards the ground, though was quickly caught by the hand of Xavius, who slammed her into the tree again, this time shattering her Aura.

"You fool! Did you really think you had a chance against me?!" Xavius roared, saliva dripping from his mouth as he spoke. "As long as I live, the Nightmare will never die! I grow more powerful with every second you waste trying to kill me, and soon I will have enough power to encompass the entirety of this pathetic planet! The Void will soon have its fill, for all Dreams can become Nightmares..."

" **And all Nightmares end!"**

Xavius and Ruby both froze at the feminine voice, both slowly turning to its source. Before them was a great Dragon that had dwarfed all others Ruby had seen before, a royal crown of horns adorning her scalp. Her scales were a verdant green, and seemed to glow with ethereal energy that danced around each scale. Ruby had seen her in the waking world, and in the Nightmare itself, but now she was at full strength, or the very least seemed to be. She was looking at Ysera, the Dreamer, Aspect of the Dream and leader of the Green Dragonflight. And she looked enraged.

With a mighty roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the world she charged Xavius, the Nightmare Lord dropping Ruby to focus instead on the much greater threat. Meeting her challenge with a roar of his own, Xavius charged the Green Aspect, the twin titans quickly clashing with one another. Both clawed and scratched at one another, using every advantage they had. At times it seemed as though the Nightmare Lord would triumph, only for the tables to quickly turn and the Dreamer to gain the upper hand.

That wasn't all though, for it seemed that for every blow Xavius took, he grew smaller, almost as if his power was waning. Taking this as her cue, Ruby activated _Crescent Rose's_ sniper form, firing bullet after bullet at the Nightmare Lord. She half expected the same result, only for a triumphant grin to form on her face when she saw that not only was Xavius reeling from the strikes, they were leaving wounds as well.

Malfurion too saw this, and began to charge small bolts of Lunar energy and proceeded to fling them towards the Nightmare Lord, whole howled in pain when the orbs of power connected with his skin, charring it immediately. In a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand, Xavius lashed forward with his arms, attempting to force it down the Aspects throat.

The Dreamer not only swerved her head out of the way of the blow, but bit down on the outstretched limb, causing Xavius to let out a sharp yell as her serrated teeth bit down into his flesh. Then, with a sharp tug, Ysera threw Xavius to the side, where he crashed into a tree, the trunk of the tree quickly giving way and crashing down on Xavius, who let out a pained yelp as he collapsed again. As the Nightmare Lord attempted to rise up, Ysera began to channel a large amount of energy into her maw, which began to glow a near blinding fluorescent green. Then, she unleashed the energy at Xavius, hitting him square in the chest. Ruby shielded her eyes as the dim form of Xavius writhed about in agony, letting out a haunting roar as a large explosion occurred, further blinding her and everyone else present.

When she felt the light dim, she turned to where the Nightmare Lord was, only to find a smouldering crater in his presence. As Ruby and Malfurion approached, they saw the crater was not entirely empty, though the being laying within would no longer pose a threat to them. Before them, half dead and beaten was a Night Elf, his cloth robes and blue hair tinged with the corruption of the Nightmare, his once fair face now burnt and scarred. As the Night Elf turned to look at the pair, Ruby immediately recognised the red eyes that stared back at her. The eyes of Xavius.

"You think...you've won..." Xavius muttered, his voice garbled as if he were choking on his own blood. "The Nightmare...cannot be ended...so easily..."

"You told me yourself," Ruby responded, causing the fallen Night Elf to turn and face her. "As long as you live, the Nightmare will endure. And honestly, you don't look like you'll make it." In response, Xavius began to laugh, somehow made more menacing due to his garbled tone.

"I may die...but my memory will live on..." Xavius coughed, an unhealthy amount of blood following with it. "Besides...you are blind...to the true darkness...within your midst..."

"What do you mean?" Malfurion demanded, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"Fool...what do you think?" Xavius bitterly laughed as his skin and flesh began to melt away, bone already beginning to show. "You...have been...betrayed..."

With that, Xavius let out one more haunting laugh, his flesh and skin melting away leaving only his skeleton, which too began to bubble and melt as it turned into a puddle of thick goo, all that remained of the once powerful Nightmare Lord.

"What do you think he meant?" Ruby asked, turning towards the Archdruid, more confused then anything.

" **He means we have been betrayed from within."** the voice of Ysera answered, causing both Archdruid and Huntress to spin around and face the Aspect, the former dropping to his knees as a sign of respect. **"One within the Circle allowed Xavius to regain his strength, and twist the Nightmare to our their own ends."**

"But who would do such a thing?!" Malfurion asked, his voice filled with both shock and fury at the notion that one of his own Druids would do such a thing.

" **I do not know, but that is not the most pressing matter at the moment."** Ysera answered, before turning to Ruby. **"My child, you have risked much to do what you have done, and for that I am forever in your debt. But you must leave this hallowed ground now, for you are in grave danger."**

"What about you though?" Ruby asked, more concerned for the Aspects safety than her own.

" **I still have much strength to recover, and though Xavius is no more, his corruption still lingers."** Ysera responded, turning to the vast landscape before her. **"It will take time for the Dream to be fully cleansed of the Nightmare."**

"I will stay with you and lend whatever aid I can." Malfurion volunteered, before turning to Ruby. "You have my thanks, Miss Rose. You do your entire race justice, and I hope to meet you in the physical world once this is all over."

"Thanks, I guess." Ruby chuckled as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Speaking of which, how exactly do I get out of here?"

At the query, Malfurion began to laugh as if it were the most simple thing in the world, causing Ruby to arc her brow in confusion.

"Why my child, it is most simple." Malfurion responded, as he folded his feathered arms across his chest. "All you must do is wake up."

 **00000000**

Ruby suddenly awoke with a loud gasp, sitting up as she inhaled deeply. Almost immediately she felt the hands of both Jaune and Jarod steady her as she began to scan her surroundings. She was back in the Barrow Den. She was back in the waking world.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked, his face etched with worry.

"My head hurts..." Ruby replied, before she began to look around. Around her were the contingent of guards Jarod had stationed, but no sight of Nora, Ren or Oscar. "Where are the others?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." Jaune chuckled sheepishly. "It was my turn to watch you, and Jarod was here anyway so-"

"Wait, how long was I out?" Ruby suddenly asked, causing both Jarod and Jaune to look at one another.

"About...a week, give or take." Jaune finally answered, wincing slightly as Ruby's jaw seemed to dislodge itself from its hinges.

"A week?!" Ruby nearly yelled, startling the guards around her. "But I feel I've only been gone a few hours!"

"Time flows differently within the Dream." Jarod responded with a chuckle, before his tone grew more concerned. "What of the Dream? Did you succeed? Is the threat of the Nightmare over?"

"Yeah, but Ysera said that it was an inside job..." Ruby responded with a hint of worry. "That they were betrayed from within."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaune asked, turning to Jarod, who had a concerned look on his face as he stroked his chin.

"It means that one of our own was responsible for this whole mess, but who?" Jarod muttered. "Who would want such a thing to-"

Jarod was suddenly interrupted as the door to the Barrow Den was suddenly burst open, the Night Elven guards quickly drawing their blades only to lower them at the sight of the intruder. They appeared to be a Druid, a pair of deer antlers sprouting from their forehead, with a forest green beard draping down their chest whilst part of their long hair was tied into a ponytail. They held a staff shaped into the likeness of a stag, though their armour seemed to resemble that of a bear.

"Jarod! You have to come quickly, now!" the Druid yelled, his tone filled with panic.

"Brother Bearmantle? What is it?" Jarod asked, his brow raised in confusion and worry. Broll was a steadfast Druid and slow to show panic. It must have been something dire indeed if he was already in such a state.

"The Gnoll's are attacking in droves!" Bearmantle responded, pointing to the entrance of the Barrow. "Moonglade is burning!"

 **00000000**

 **And done! Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either leave in your review or PM me personally. Next update is January 13th. Happy New Year everyone!**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	22. The Harrowing of the Moonglade

**Hello everyone, another day another chapter. Hope you had a good start to the new year and seeing as there are no review responses, let's get right into it shall we? Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 22- The Harrowing of the Moonglade**

"Moonglade is burning!"

As soon as Ruby heard those words, she didn't know what to think. She didn't even know how such a thing was possible. But she knew what she had to do. Her friends were there, innocent people were there. Her Uncle was there. Was he safe? Had he been evacuated out of there? Or had the flames already consumed him? She didn't even register herself leaping onto her feet and charge head first out of the Barrow.

As soon as daylight met her eyes, she squinted. After so much time in the dark, the light was near blinding. Her eyes eventually adjusted themselves, but she wasn't sure she wanted to see the sight before her.

This part of the sacred glade was untouched at the very least, though it was already filling up with the victims of the chaos. Some were untouched it seemed, no doubt heading to safety before the flames had a chance to consume them. Others were hacking and coughing, their bodies covered in varying layers of soot, but were for the most part unharmed. Then there were the ones that screamed and howled in pain, there bodies covered in life threatening burns or savage cuts that required immediate attention. Then there were the ones that laid silently on the ground, there bodies not even moving an inch.

She turned her head to the direction that the refugees were coming from, where the smoke was thickest and the sounds of battle not far behind. Drawing _Crescent Rose_ , she charged ahead, swerving past the throng of civilians until a wall of intense heat caused her to skid to a halt. She opened her eyes, only for them to sting as a barrage of ash came to meet them. As her eyes began to water from the pain, she squinted them open slightly to see the chaos for herself.

The glade was burning, raging infernos rising high into the air and setting alight the highest tree branches. On the ground, the Night Elven forces were engaged with the Gnoll forces. The Gnolls had the numbers, but the Night Elves were easily the better fighters. She saw Druids shifting into the forms of great cats and bears, tearing through the armour of the Gnolls with fang and claw. She saw Sentinels raining arrows down upon the Gnolls, who quickly fell as they embedded themselves in their thick skin. She even spotted Jarod's sister Maiev and her Wardens bringing the fight to the Gnolls, vanishing from their sight only to instantly reappear behind their targets and nearly slicing them in two.

She turned her head at the padding of two feet, quickly coming face to face with a Gnoll charging her, axe in hand. It let out a mad cackle as it brought the axe down on Ruby, only to growl in anger when it found its blow blocked by _Crescent Rose_. She fired a round from the weapon, the recoil sending the Gnoll to the side where it was quickly felled by a downward slice from her Scythe. Her ears perked up as she heard the growl of a Gnoll behind her, quickly leaping into the air and landing behind the Gnoll, who spun around to meet the red hooded Huntress. It charged Ruby again, only to receive a round from _Crescent Rose_ to the face.

Another charged her again, Ruby quickly spinning around and smacking the Gnoll in the neck with the shaft of her weapon, stunning the Gnoll before she finished it off with a slash from her blade. She turned again, raising her weapon up to strike her would be attacker, only to freeze upon seeing they too had their weapon raised in the air, their face twisted in a savage snarl as the weapon dropped from their hand and they fell limply forward, already dead. As the Gnoll fell, she saw Maiev stood in the Gnolls place, her Umbra Crescent dripping with fresh blood which she shook off with little to no effort.

"Thanks." Ruby sighed, lowering her weapon as a look of relief flashed on her face. "I thought I was a goner then."

"It's not over yet, human." Maiev warned, not even turning to meet Ruby's eye as she instead opted to spin around, the blades on her cloak slashing open the necks of a throng of Gnolls who had attempted to attack her from behind. "I take it your mission was successful if you're awake?"

"Yes, but it's not over yet." Ruby warned, remembering the words of the Green Aspect. "Ysera said that there was a traitor, someone who planted the Nightmare in the Dream."

"What?!" Maiev nearly shouted, her eyes widening behind her helmet before seemingly narrowing into slits. "That is a serious accusation your making human. If I find out your lying-"

"I'm not lying!" Ruby quickly defended, turning quickly as a Gnoll charged her, nearly cleaving it in two with her weapon. "Ask either Malfurion or Ysera herself."

"I still don't trust a word you say human." Maiev scowled, her grip tightening on her weapon slightly. "But if either the Archdruid or the Aspect can vouch for you, then maybe-"

A hideous shriek caused Maiev to still her tongue as both herself and Ruby looked to the sky. Flying above the burning forest was a huge dragon, its scales an inky black as volatile purple energy leaked out of it. Ruby's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the Twilight Grimm as it flew overhead, its mere shadow causing both Gnoll and Elf to cower in fear. But what made Ruby more horrified was the direction the beast was headed in.

"It's headed for the Dragonshrine!" Ruby warned, quickly turning towards Maiev. "It must be after Ysera. If she falls, then the Green Dragonflight will be leaderless!"

"And we lose everything..." Maiev hissed, quickly pointing towards the pathway that lead to the Dragonshrine. "Go. I'll clean up this mess here and join you there."

Ruby nodded once before sprinting forward with assistance from her Semblance. As she travelled she saw that the Gnolls hadn't made it to the Dragonshrine, and thus it had so far been spared from the flames. But when Ruby approached the entrance of the Shrine, she saw it had been dealt a worse fate. Purple flames dotted the entrance, the faint silhouettes of bodies only just visible within. It was then that she heard a gurgled scream, turning quickly to see the sight of an all too familiar foe cutting the throat of a Druid, the fallen Night Elf limply grasping his throat before falling over dead.

"You..." Ruby hissed, gripping her weapon tightly as the attacker turned her head in Ruby's direction, her one eye narrowing in delight.

"Well well well, if it isn't Miss Rose." Asira chuckled menacingly, brandishing her blood-soaked daggers as she stalked forward. "I was wondering if you would make it. How is your Uncle?"

Ruby did not respond, instead growling as she fired a shot from _Crescent Rose_ , the assassin easily dodging the shot with a simple sidestep.

"Come on, your better then that." Asira tutted, shaking her head in disappointment.

"You're going to pay for what you've done." Ruby threatened, aiming down the sights of her weapon as she prepared to fire another shot. "I won't let you hurt anyone else."

"You're very welcome to try little girl..." Asira responded, shifting her daggers into her pistol form. "But you'll have to get through him first."

Ruby turned her head as a low growl echoed around her, her eyes quickly catching sight of the Twilight Grimm as it left the shadows, a large scar on its wing membrane from where Qrow had cut it open. Yet as she turned to defend herself from the aberration, she froze upon hearing the safety of a weapon going off. She turned just in time, spinning _Crescent Rose_ around rapidly in front of her, trying her best to block the barrage of bullets coming from Asira. She waited until the assassin was forced to reload, and then sprang into action, leaping forward with the aid of her Semblance.

Yet as she was mid-air, she felt something heavy crash into her stomach, sending her spiralling to the ground with a thud. Looking up, she saw the Twilight Grimm hissing at her, its tail swaying high in the air like a snake. Before she could even stand, she turned as she saw Asira lunge at her, bringing her weapon to bear as she blocked the surprise attack. Using her legs, she kicked Asira off of her, quickly leaping to her own feet and swinging _Crescent Rose_ over her head down on Asira.

Before the blade could even reach the apex of its swing however, she felt a sudden force crash into her side, causing her to yell out in pain as she felt her grip on _Crescent Rose_ slip. When she landed, she saw her weapon a few feet in front of her, the fore paw of the Twilight Grimm planted firmly on it, a sinister snarl escaping its maw.

"And with that, I think I've won..." Asira chuckled, quickly sheathing her daggers as she turned to the Twilight Grimm. "Sic her."

The Twilight Grimm was quick to advance, saliva dripping from its maw as if it could already taste her flesh. It was at that moment Ruby first heard it. At first she thought it was simply the beating of her heart, growing louder and faster as what seemed to be her death came closer. But it was at that moment she realised that the Twilight Grimm was stalling, turning its head to the air. The noise wasn't the beating of her heart.

It was the beating of wings.

A blast of magma quickly collided with the Twilight Grimm, causing it to stop and screech in pain as its flesh began to slowly but surely melt away. Ruby turned to the sky, a faint smile appearing on her face as she spotted a much larger Dragon land next to her. She recognised every feature of his form, from the earthy black scales to his fiery eyes.

"Ebonhorn..." Ruby whispered, the uncorrupted black Dragon turning to face the red Huntress with a faint nod of his head.

"Go, deal with the assassin. It is time to finish this once and for all." Ebonhorn ordered, opening his wings as he let out a roar at the Twilight Grimm, which had managed to survive the initial attack from the Dragon, meeting Ebonhorn's challenge with a roar of its own.

Ebonhorn charged first, lunging at the Twilight Grimm which managed to leap into the air, flying high into the sky with the Black Dragon in close pursuit. Ruby then turned to Asira, who had already unsheathed her daggers and held them in pistol form, already firing shots at the red hooded Huntress. Acting quickly, she rolled forward, dodging more shots as she quickly scooped up _Crescent Rose,_ turning quickly as she began to fire upon the assassin. Asira ducked and dodged as both Huntress and assassin circled one another, firing their weapons as they moved.

As Ruby ejected a magazine from her weapon, Asira charged forward with a yell, tackling Ruby to the ground and disarming her. As Ruby shook her head, her eyes went wide upon seeing Asira raising her daggers over her head and began to bring them down. Ruby grabbed both her wrists, struggling to hold the daggers back. She had no doubt in her mind that as before, these weapons were poisoned, and if anything the venomous cocktail would probably be even more potent.

Using her legs she kneed Asira in the gut, causing her to grunt in pain and loosen her grip on the weapons. She then kicked out with her feet, sending Asira tumbling back, the daggers skidding out of her hands and onto the earth. Both Ruby and Asira then began to stand, the latter quickly holding her fists out in front of her. Ruby did likewise, quickly charging forward with a yell as she swung out with a right hook.

She was no hand to hand fighter, and this fight was clearly going to demonstrate how inadequate she was. She only prayed that Asira was just as bad at fist fighting as she was. She was very wrong. Asira swerved out of the way of the strike, quickly striking Ruby in the gut with a punch to her side, causing Ruby to wince in pain before she performed a counter swing with the same arm, Asira ducking beneath the swing and punching her in the gut, causing Ruby to stagger back in response.

With a yell of adrenaline, Ruby charged her with a left thrust, Asira quickly swerving out of the way and catching her wrist, before proceeding to elbow her gut before bashing her in the face with the back of her hand. She then proceeded to twist Ruby's arm, causing her to wince in pain before Asira threw her over her shoulder, causing her to hit the ground with an undignified grunt. She heard Asira chuckle dryly as Ruby struggled to her feet, every fibre of her body aching as she stood. It was official: after all of this was done, she was going to ask Yang for more hand to hand combat training.

"Did you really think you stood a chance?" Asira asked, a pair of spectral blades appearing above her as she spoke.

Without so much as a word of command, the spectral blades suddenly shot out towards Ruby, causing the Huntress to let out a surprised yell as she fell back, the blades mere inches from her throat.

"Your nothing but a little girl playing an adults game." Asira condescended, walking over and picking up her daggers from the ground. "Why Deathwing was afraid of you I'll never know, but I don't care. As long as I get paid, I'll take any job. Your little traitor of a friend won't be able to save you this time."

"Your right, he won't." Ruby agreed, gulping loudly as the spectral blades neared her neck. "But she will."

Before the assassin could enquire, she let out a sudden scream as a flash of silver struck her back. Her concentration broken, the spectral swords disintegrated into dust, Ruby letting out a sigh as she rubbed her neck. As Asira turned, her eye went wide in shock before she haphazardly raised her daggers in the air, the metal clanging loudly as it came into contact with the Umbra Crescent, Maiev Shadowsong growling in disgust as she charged at the assassin again. Asira let out a yell as she thrust forward with before daggers, only to pierce a cloud of smoke as Maiev reappeared behind her, slashing her back again. Turning around, Asira swung out with one of her daggers, only for it to get caught on something.

Turning, she saw that one of the grooves of her blade was hooked onto the blade of _Crescent Rose_ , the Scythe in the hands of Ruby Rose, who had a smug grin on her face as she pulled the trigger of her weapon, the recoil sending Asira staggering towards as the dagger flew from her grip. As the assassin attempted to steady herself, Ruby performed an uppercut, smashing into Asira's stomach and sending her into the air.

Using her Semblance, Ruby leapt into the air herself and slammed her weapon into Asira, sending her crashing into the ground. Ruby landed as the dust began to settle, Asira clawing her way out of the mini crater she had created, her form shimmering as her Aura shattered.

"It's over." Ruby announced, aiming her weapon at the assassin as her mask came loose, revealing her snarling face as blood trickled down her lip. "You've lost."

"It's not over yet..." Asira hissed, quickly unhooking something from the folds of her coat and unpinning it. "Not while I'm still breathing..."

She then threw the device into the ground, a cloud of smoke quickly encompassing them both, Ruby coughing loudly as she left the smoke cloud. Looking around, she saw Asira running towards the tree line. She went to follow, only to collapse as she entered a coughing fit. She saw the glint of triumph in Asira's eye as she neared the relative safety, only for it to turn into sheer panic as Maiev suddenly appeared in front of her in a white flash.

"W-wait!" Asira pleaded as she skidded to a halt, though her plea fell on deaf ears as Maiev swung out her blade, the sickening sound of flesh meeting metal echoing loudly, causing Ruby to wince and turn away.

When she did look, she saw Asira clutching her throat blood trickled through her gloves, staining them red as she fell onto her knees before her eye closed, and she slumped forward. Asira Dawnslayer, favoured assassin of the Twilight Father, slayer of countless innocents, was dead. Maiev observed her blade, grunting in satisfaction at the blow she had dealt before turning to Ruby.

"This was better then she deserved. We both know what she could have done if she'd escaped." Maiev defended, causing Ruby to nod slightly in agreement. "Go, find the Archdruid and ensure he is protected. If there is indeed a traitor they will have gone after him."

"Right." Ruby nodded, quickly turning to leave the entrance of the Dragonshrine.

"And Miss Rose." Maiev suddenly said, causing Ruby to turn around and meet the gaze of the Warden. "May Elune smile upon you."

"And you too, Warden." Ruby replied, quickly running back towards the glade.

She knew that she needed to protect the Archdruid, but if the traitor was as skilled as the assassin was, she was going to need help.

She was going to need her friends.

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 **And done. I know it's shorter than these last ones, but I promise you its worth it. Now as for where Jaune, Ren, Nora and Oscar were this chapter, that'll be answered in the next chapter. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in a review. Next chapter update will be January 27th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	23. Hogger

**Hello everyone. Another day, another chapter. Sorry that this particular chapter is late, but everyone except me has had a case of flu this past week so I've had to be the backbone of the household so to speak. In other news the first Battle for Azeroth Alpha build was announced (hype!) and hopefully when they start rolling out I can get access to the Beta. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 23- Hogger**

"Ruby, wait!"

Those were the only words to come out of Jaune's mouth as he reached to grab his friend, though all his hands manage to grasp was a handful of petals. One hand on the pommel of his sword, he rushed after her out of the Barrow, shielding his eyes when he saw the carnage before him. The patter of feet caused him to turn around, Jarod and his men stood like statues, their faces frozen in horror at the sight of the burning Moonglade.

"Wh-what do we do?" one of the guardsmen managed to say, himself and the others turning to face Jarod for any sign of leadership. Jaune saw Jarod's face falter for just a second before the look was replaced by one of grim determination.

"Make for the refugees, keep them safe at all costs." Jarod said, turning to face his men who all exchanged looks with one another.

"But the fires? And the Gnolls?" one of the soldiers asked, causing some of the others to nod in agreement.

"Use the water from the lake to quench the smaller fires and dampen anything not already burning." Jarod responded, pointing to the nearby lake as he spoke. "As for the Gnolls, engage them only when necessary. You know how easily the bastards can swarm us if we're not careful.

"We've lost a lot of lives today, and I refuse to lose anyone else." Jarod continued, quickly drawing his sword and holding it aloft in the air, its edge glistening in the sun. " _Tor ilisar'thera'nal! Andu-falah-dor!"_

The guardsmen raised their own weapons in the air and began to cheer in response. Jaune would have joined in with the cheering had he known what exactly Jarod was saying. Almost immediately after Jarod lowered his blade the other soldiers began to disperse, many heading for the refugees whilst some went to collect buckets to help stop the spreading of the fires.

"I have to go find my friends, I have to make sure they're safe." Jaune said, causing Jarod to turn and face him.

"I'll come with you." Jarod responded, sheathing his blade though keeping his hand on the pommel for a quick and easy draw.

Jaune nodded before running down one of the many pathways, praying that it was the right one. As both he and Jarod looked at their surroundings, they saw that whilst the surrounding greenery had not yet been claimed by fire, the Gnolls had indeed desecrated it still. Trees had been hacked at, idols broken, and Night Elven citizens had been torn limb from limb, their blood staining the grass.

There was a loud yelp as a Gnoll was sent flying in front of them, its broken body leaving bloody stains on the pavement as it crashed into the ground. Both Jaune and Jarod turned to see a mighty Ancient roar in fury as it scooped up another handful of Gnolls, pounding its free hand into the cluster, leaving a bloody mess behind. More Ancients fought around it, stomping on Gnolls and even using them as clubs to swat their brethren. Sometimes the Gnolls would use hooked ropes to topple an Ancient, slowly hacking them to splinters with their axes, whilst others threw burning torches at the Ancients, causing them to shriek in pain as they became charred and blackened.

Jaune wanted to help the Ancients, do something to aid them, but he knew that with his size he would be just as easily crushed as the Gnolls were. Besides, he needed to find his friends still. Both he and Jarod continued onwards, the sounds of the Ancients battling becoming fainter and fainter with every second. After a turn in the road, Jaune halted at the sight of a pile of bodies blocking the road, a mixture of Night Elves and Gnolls. Much to Jaune's horror, it appeared as though those in the pile had been partially eaten. But it wasn't the pile of bodies that made Jaune stop in his tracks, it was the bodies around the pile.

A small number of them were Night Elven, but the vast majority of them were Gnolls. The vast majority of the Gnolls had been clearly killed by Night Elven hands, but many more of them bore other wounds instead. Some had been cut open by small blades, others had been burnt by what was to Jaune an unfamiliar magic, but most of them appeared to have been pulverised by some large hammer, their insides crushed to the extent that the skin looked more like an empty paper bag.

"This is definitely Nora's work..." Jaune murmured as he crouched in front of one of the Gnoll bodies. "Think they're still alive?"

"Very likely." Jarod answered as he knelt down next to one of the dead Gnolls. "If I were to guess from the body pile alone, I would say that these Gnolls were in the middle of feasting when your friends and some of my men engaged them."

"They eat their own people?" Jaune asked, gagging slightly when he saw one of the Gnolls in the body pile had had half its face ripped clean off. "That's disgusting!"

"They roll around in their own crap for all we know, they're savages." Jarod replied, rolling his eyes when he heard Jaune throw up behind him. "Which brings me to the confusing part..."

"And-...and what's that?" Jaune asked, coughing and spitting to rid his mouth of the taste of vomit.

"Like I said, the Gnolls are savages. Their armour is hide and their weapons are stone and bone that are so dull their claws and teeth are more effective weapons." Jarod explained, before he picked up a nearby weapon from the limp grip of the Gnoll. "What do you see them using?"

"Actual armour and weapons..." Jaune responded as he leant down to pick up a large and crude blade, its edge coated in Night Elven blood. "You don't think this attack is related to what Ruby said? About the traitor?"

"I'm not sure, but its timing is coincidental." Jarod replied, dropping the weapon he had been holding in his hand as he stood up. "Right now though we need to find your friends. No doubt they'll be nearby."

"How can you be certain?" Jaune asked, dropping the blood caked blade as he spoke.

Before Jarod could answer, there was a sudden ear splitting yelp in the distance, getting closer with every second. Before either could react, the body of a Gnoll came crashing into the ground between them, its chest caved in from what was undoubtedly a hammer blow. Both then turned from the broken body of the Gnoll to the direction it had come from, quickly spotting the one responsible for the fleshy projectile.

"Nora?" Jaune asked with a raised eyebrow, causing the maniacal hammer wielder to turn around and face them, waving cheerily at the pair when she spotted them.

"Hey Jaune! Hey Mister Night Elf!" Nora shouted as she continued to wave, pausing only to swing _Magnhild_ at a rapidly charging Gnoll, sending the unfortunate creature flying back at nearly twice the speed. "What are you guys doing there?! Come over!"

"Uh...okay." Jaune responded, carefully making his way through the foliage towards Nora, Jarod not far behind him.

When the pair had finally made it to the orange haired hammer wielder, they were quick to see that Nora had indeed been quite busy. The clearing she was in was littered with Gnoll corpses, a large number of them seemingly with broken legs. Nearby was Ren and Oscar, both of them panting heavily as they rested alongside a number of Night Elven guardsmen, many of them sporting wounds that were being tended to.

"Did you do...all of this?" Jarod asked, his eyes wide at the carnage around them.

"Maybe..." Nora responded innocently, before swinging her hammer at the lower portion of a wounded Gnoll, causing it to howl in pain before Nora mercifully slammed her hammer into the back of its skull, laughing madly in the process.

"Is she always this...eccentric?" Jarod asked Jaune, turning towards him as he spoke.

"Well..." Jaune started, wincing when he heard yet another bone crushing smash from the hammer wielder. "...Maybe."

"Commander Shadowsong." one of the Night Elves said, walking towards Jarod and saluting him crisply. "Thank Elune you've come. The bastard Gnolls ambushed us on our way to the main Barrow. If it weren't for these Humans I-"

"It's fine." Ren interrupted, both the guardsman and Jarod turning to face the Huntsman in the process. "You would have done the same for us."

"No we wouldn't." a wounded Night Elf said matter of factly, causing the other Night Elves to frown in annoyance at him.

Before a single word could be said, there was a savage howl that rang out through the forest, followed immediately by the trampling of heavy feet.

"Was that another Gnoll?" Oscar managed to say, stepping back haphazardly in the process.

"Not just any Gnoll..." Jarod replied, his hand drawing closer to the hilt of his sword which he drew rapidly before turning to the other Night Elves. "Defensive formations! Now!"

The Night Elves responded immediately, those with shields stepping forward and holding their shields out, the tips of their swords visible through the small gaps in the shield wall. Jaune moved to join them, unsheathing _Crocea Mors_ and activating the scabbards shield mode, quickly joining the shield wall along with his friends, all save on of them.

"Nora, get back here!" Jaune ordered as he stared wide eyed at the hammer wielder, who was twirling _Magnhild_ rapidly in her hands.

"Nah, I'm good." Nora happily replied, bending her legs slightly as if to brace herself, the sound of the Gnoll approaching getting louder with every passing second.

"Nora please." Ren added, his eyes wide with concern. "Get behind the shield wall, you've taken a lot of hits already and we don't know how much more your Aura can take."

"Relax Ren." Nora replied with a chuckle as she turned to face her partner. "What's the worse that can happen?"

There was a loud crash as at long last the Gnoll came crashing through, and to say it was big was an understatement. It nearly dwarfed Nora in height alone, and the broad black armour it wore only made the beast look all the more bigger, a matching two handed axe in one of its paws. Its black and brown fur was smeared with blood, especially around the mouth which still had strings of flesh lodged in the teeth, and its body was covered in numerous scars, both old and new.

"By Elune...is that...HIM?!" one of the Night Elves stammered, the fear in his voice clear as day. "Is that...Hogger?"

"Stand firm men." Jarod commanded, Hogger roaring loudly at the assembled Night Elves, before his eyes settled on the only one not in the shield formation.

Hogger took one look at Nora, who's face had fallen considerably as her grip on _Magnhild_ loosened considerably, and began to growl, his lips curling sadistically.

"Boy, you are REALLY ugly!" Nora flat out shouted, the Gnolls eyes widening in anger before it flat out roared at her, causing her face to scrunch up considerably. "And boy your breath stinks!"

Rather then respond with another roar, the Gnoll swung out with his axe, Nora letting out a panicked cry as she jumped back, barely dodging the blade and stumbling over in the process.

"Nora!" Ren shouted, quickly activating _StormFlower_ and sprinted towards Hogger.

"Ren, wait!" Jaune shouted as his fellow team-mate charged the gargantuan Gnoll.

Hogger turned at the sound of Ren, who leapt into the air and swung at the Gnoll, though his weapons did nearly no damage to the Gnoll. As Ren landed, Hogger swung over head with his axe, Ren's guard being broken immediately as he fell to his knees. Hogger then grabbed Ren by the head and threw him at Nora, both falling to the ground in a heap.

"Die you flea bitten bastard!" a Night Elf yelled, breaking formation immediately to charge Hogger with a near primal yell.

"Stay in formation!" Jarod shouted as the gap the soldier had left was immediately filled by another Night Elf.

The charging Night Elf let out another yell as he swung his blade at Hogger, the Gnoll only noticing the Night Elf at the last second. The blade connected to the plating covering his chest, though went no further. Hogger let out a sinister snarl as he grabbed the Night Elf's sword arm in his paw and swung out with his axe, easily beheading the Night Elven soldier, who's body went limp as Hogger released his grip.

Nora and Ren then proceeded to stand up, quickly readying their weapons as Hogger turned to face them again. The Gnoll let out another roar as he charged the pair, swinging down with his axe at the two students, who rolled out of the way at the last second. With a cry of adrenaline, Nora leapt into the air, smacking _Magnhild_ into Hogger's right shoulder, causing the Gnoll to let out a growl of pain as he staggered, followed immediately by another growl as Ren slashed at the Gnolls back. With a snarl, Hogger swung out with his axe at Ren, who dodged the swing easily enough. Nora then proceeded to bash the end of _Magnhild_ into the back of Hogger's knee, causing the Gnoll to yelp in pain.

As Nora prepared to deliver a crushing blow on Hogger's back, the Gnoll swerved around rapidly, causing Nora to miss the blow. Before the hammer wielder could recover, Hogger proceeded to thrust his axe into Nora's gut, causing her to scream in pain as she was lifted off her feet by the blade. Hogger let out a savage snarl as his lips curled into a smile, grabbing Nora by the head and pulling her down, causing her to cry out again as her Aura flickered around her, straining to repel the damage of the blow.

"No!" Ren shouted as he charged Hogger, the Gnolls eyes flicking towards him as he threw Nora off his axe and turned fully to face Ren.

With a yell Ren swung upwards, though Hogger once again dodged the blow and bit down on Ren's shoulder, causing him to let out his own cry of pain as Hogger began to swing him around akin to a dog with a chew toy. With each shake Ren's cries grew fainter as his Aura began to flicker, until at last Hogger released his grip, Ren falling limply next to Nora, both of them groaning in pain.

"Ren! Nora!" Jaune yelled as he began to charge forward, slamming his shield into Hogger's back, though the Gnoll barely staggered from the charge.

Hogger turned swiftly, snarling loudly as he proceeded to backhand Jaune, sending him flying onto his back. Jaune groaned in pain as he attempted to stand, Hogger cackling madly as he approached the downed knight, already raising his axe for an overhead strike. Jaune held his shield up weakly, half expecting his shield to be split in two from the strike. He closed his eyes, wincing as he heard the sound of metal clanging against metal, though was confused when he felt no such sensation running through him. Opening his eyes, he saw that the strike had been intercepted by none other than Jarod, who was straining to hold his own against the massive Gnoll, who pressed down on the Night Elven Commander.

With little to no effort Hogger forced Jarod's blade to the side before shoulder barging the Night Elf, knocking him to the ground. As Hogger swung his axe down on Jarod, Jaune intercepted with his shield, the edge of the axe causing an ear splitting sound as scraped down the face of the metal, causing Jaune to wince in pain as he felt his arm jar from the blow. Before he could even properly recover, Hogger back handed him again, sending him sprawling onto his back again.

The Gnoll leader turned to attack him again, but staggered as Jarod swung out with his sword, causing the Gnoll to growl in pain as it renewed its assault on the Night Elven Commander. Jaune slowly began to stand up, turning to both Ren and Nora, who were only just recovering themselves. His gaze was centred on Jarod and Hogger as the two continued to fight one another, each and everyone of Jarod's blows barely making a dent in the Gnoll's armour.

"It's useless." Jaune summarised as he saw a second Night Elf charge Hogger, who nearly cut him in half with a single uppercut, before swinging at Jarod, who barely dodged the strike as the axe blade became embedded in the dirt. "His armour is practically impenetrable, and it's covering everything except-"

Jaune froze instantly as the realisation of what he was saying dawned on him, slowly looking down at _Crocea Mors_ in the process.

"Except his head and neck..."

A grunt of pain caused him to look up, where he saw Jarod with his back against a tree, Hogger standing in front of him with axe raised. He swung the blade at the Night Elven Commander, who held his sword to block the blow, but the blade was knocked from his hand. Hogger roared in triumph directly in the Jarod's face as he raised his axe above his head.

That was when Jaune struck.

Without even a yell, he leapt onto Hogger's back and hooked his arms around his neck, causing the Gnoll to let out a confused growl as his axe instead hit the tree Jarod was leaning against. Hogger growled and snarled as he tried to dislodge the knight, but his frame was so large that he could barely grasp hold of him, the task made all the more cumbersome by his armour. _Crocea Mors_ still in his grip, Jaune grabbed hold of the Gnolls brow and pulled his head sharply to the left. With a yell Jaune buried the blade into Hogger's neck, the Gnolls eyes going wide as blood began to pour out.

Hogger began to choke and gurgle as he tried to pry the sword out of his neck whilst also attempting to tear Jaune off his back. Ren slowly got up and saw struggling with the Gnoll chieftain, letting out an annoyed sigh when he realised what he was going to have to do. Without a word, Ren tackled into Hogger, wrapping his hands around the Gnoll's waist in an attempt to topple him. Hogger quickly began to claw and scratch at Ren's back until he felt Jaune begin to twist his sword in his neck, causing him to try and pry the blade out again with one hand whilst also trying to push Ren away with his other.

It was then that Nora came in and shoulder barged Hogger, causing the Gnoll to involuntarily cry out as he, Jaune and Ren came tumbling down. Ren slowly began to stand as Hogger let out one final gurgle, until at last the Gnoll stopped moving.

"Get. This. Thing. Off. Of. Me." Jaune said as he waved his hand out from under Hogger, his voice muffled by the body of said creature.

Both Ren and Nora looked at one another before they both grabbed hold of one of Hogger's shoulders, flipping the dead Gnoll on its belly and off of Jaune, who gasped for air as he slowly began to stand up, pulling _Crocea Mors_ from Hogger's neck, a near comical amount of blood squirting out as a result.

"Great...great team effort everyone." Jaune panted as he gave a thumbs up to everyone.

"I can't believe it..." Jarod said as he limped towards the body of Hogger, one hand clutching his sword arm. "We've been hunting this beast for years, and now to see him dead..."

"Well, you know how it is." Nora responded as she stepped forward. "One day you're hunting something for an entire life time, next thing you know it's on your doorstep leading an attack on your home."

"That's...putting it bluntly, Nora." Ren said as Jarod turned to fetch his sword, causing the others to look at the Night Elven Commander in confusion. "Wait, what are you-"

Ren stopped speaking when Jarod then began to hack his way through Hogger's neck, messily decapitating the dead body with a number of heavy blows.

"That's a little overkill don't you think?" Nora muttered as Jarod then turned towards one of the Night Elves who was uninjured.

"Find a Nightsaber and some rope and drag that head for all the Gnolls to see." Jarod ordered as he pointed to the disembodied head of Hogger. "Once the Gnolls see their leader is dead, they'll scatter like roaches in a light."

"Yes sir." the Night Elf responded, saluting crisply before running off to complete his errand.

"I'll stay here with my men and secure this area, you go find your friend." Jarod said, turning to Jaune as he spoke. "If what she says is true about a traitor in our midst, then Elune help us all."

"Wait, a traitor?" Nora asked, clearly confused.

"I'll explain when we find Ruby." Jaune responded, quickly turning towards Oscar as he spoke. "You coming with us?"

"Uh...yeah, of course." Oscar managed to say with a nod, earning a nod from Jaune in response.

"Come on everyone, let's move." Jaune said as he, Ren, Nora and Oscar quickly made their way towards the centre of Moonglade, all four of them praying that they would find Ruby before it was too late…

 **00000000**

 **And done. Liked it? Feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcome. Any questions? Either leave in your reviews or PM me. Next update will be February 10th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	24. A Traitor Revealed

**Hey everyone. Been a bit stressed today really, wasn't even sure I would be able to crank out another chapter today honestly, but I'm feeling better as I write this so there's that at least. Now, review response time! Shadowwolf1997: hey, Jaune had been absolutely useless for about 5 volumes, if RT wasn't gonna do anything with him I sure as hell was! Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 24- A Traitor Revealed**

Ruby continued to run, fully intent on making it to Malfurion before it was potentially too late. The shrill cries of the Twilight Grimm and Ebonhorn battling with one another echoed over head, only adding to the cacophony of chaos around her. Soon the distant cries of battle grew fainter as she approached what she assumed was the Archdruid's Barrow Den, its entrance surrounded by elaborate statues of owls. She turned at the padding of feet, quickly breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the all too familiar shapes of Jaune, Ren, Nora and Oscar approaching.

"Ruby, thank god you're okay." Jaune sighed as he slowed to a halt, sheathing _Crocea Mors_ in the process.

"Are you okay guys? You all look kinda...bloody." Ruby questioned as she noticed that all of them, especially Jaune, were partially covered in a thick layer of blood. Blood that was still dripping off their clothing.

"Oh, this?" Nora asked as she raised one of her arms, droplets of blood immediately spilling onto the floor in response. "You should have seen it Rube's! There was this big ol' Gnoll that was beating the crap out of us, and then Jaune was all "I'm going commando!" and jumped on the Gnoll and stabbed it in the neck, then me and Ren were like "Let's do this!" and we tackled it to the ground and-"

"I think she gets the picture, Nora." Ren interrupted, causing the Hammer wielder to groan slightly in annoyance.

"How did you end up here?" Ruby pressed, turning to Jaune for an answer.

"We came looking for you." Jaune responded, before gesturing to the path behind him. "We saw Tyrande leading a group of Sentinels not far from here. She said that she'd left a small group to defend the Barrow, and considering what you told me earlier I thought you might be heading there as well."

"Yeah, about that. What do you mean about a traitor in the ranks of the Night Elves?" Oscar asked, hoping to gain some clarification on the subject matter. Jaune hadn't exactly been specific in his wording, and he hoped that Ruby would give a better explanation.

"Ysera told me and Malfurion that the Dream was corrupted from within, that someone who knew how to access it was responsible." Ruby clarified. She knew the information was little, she didn't even know who it was that could be the traitor.

"Something isn't right..." Ren quietly said, his eyes on the floor as if he was in deep concentration.

"I know, none of this makes sense to me either Ren, but if there's even the slightest chance that Ruby is right, we have to believe her." Jaune responded, giving the red hooded Huntress a reassuring nod in the process.

"No, I mean seriously. Something isn't right with this situation." Ren clarified, causing everyone to focus on him in the process.

"What's wrong Renny?" Nora asked, a small frown on her face. Whenever Ren was unsure about something, that usually meant something bad was going to happen.

"Tyrande said that there was a small group guarding the Barrow Den." Ren began, gesturing to the structure before holding out his hands. "So where are they?"

The group looked around to see that Ren was absolutely right. Not a single guard was stationed at the Barrow, nor in the trees surrounding it.

"Maybe they all went to get a drink…?" Jaune theorised, though the tone of his voice was one of uncertainty.

"All at the same time?" Oscar pointed out, earning a shoulder shrug from the blonde knight.

"Maybe they're inside the Barrow?" Ruby suggested, pointing towards the entrance of the structure.

"Maybe, but you would have thought that at least one or two guards would be outside, or they would have come out to investigate our arrival." Ren countered, causing Ruby to hum in agreement.

Ruby didn't like this at all, it smelled suspiciously of an ambush. And they were about to trigger it, one way or another. Without another word, she drew _Crescent Rose_ , shifting the weapon into its Sniper form, already looking down the scope of the weapon into the darkness of the Barrow.

"Be ready for anything, RNJR." Ruby warned, causing her friends to nod in agreement as they each drew their respective weapons, Oscar opting instead to grab a sturdy branch off the ground.

The five of them then slowly descended into the dark tunnels of the Barrow, the light of day quickly being swallowed as they went deeper into the Barrow…

 **00000000**

Ebonhorn swerved in and out of the volley of shadow bolts spat out by the Twilight Grimm, firing his own blasts of magma back at the aberration, which ducked its scaly head in response. The Twilight Grimm then turned and charged Ebonhorn straight on, firing a lance of Twilight Energy. The magical blow struck him head on, causing him to roar in discomfort as he recoiled, barely ducking out of the way of the Twilight Grimm's second attack. Ebonhorn flew high, into the air, the Twilight Grimm now chasing him down instead. He had to draw it away from the Green Dragon's, where it could do little damage to the Flight. As he flew, he constantly looked over his shoulder, hoping that the Grimm was still tailing him.

The forest landscape transformed into rocky mountains as they rapidly approached the gorge with what was undoubtedly thousands of pillars. As he flew past one of them, he swerved upwards, smashing his tail against the face of one of the pillars, causing them to collapse. The Twilight Grimm halted mid air as the rocks fell, before it looked up towards the Black Dragon, snarling slightly as it resumed its chase. Ebonhorn continued to fly high, going higher and higher with each beat of his wings until at last he was touching the clouds in the sky.

With a roar he spun around and descended into a nose dive, colliding head on with the Twilight Grimm. The two immediately latched onto one another, clawing and biting with fang and claw. He bit down on the Twilight Grimm's neck, causing it to let loose a strangled cry before it swatted him with a claw, causing him to loosen his grip. They drew closer to the ground with every passing second, approaching one of the boulders that was balanced precariously on one of the smaller needles.

Upon seeing this, Ebonhorn planted his hind legs on the Twilight Grimm's midsection, forcing it down as he spread his wings out wide to slow his fall. The Twilight Grimm roared in fury as it tried to steady itself, before there was a sickening crack as half of the beasts body impacted the boulder, causing it to cry out in pain before it landed on the ground in a cloud of dust. Ebonhorn immediately and carefully landed on the balanced boulder, which shook precariously as it tried to account for the Dragons weight. Ebonhorn watched as the dust cleared, showing the writhing form of the Twilight Grimm, its lower half completely useless as it tried to crawl away frantically.

There was a loud cracking noise as the boulder Ebonhorn was perched upon suddenly lowered, causing him to look down rapidly as the boulder began to roll towards the Twilight Dragon. Ebonhorn quickly flew into the air, hovering on the spot as the boulder descended towards the Twilight Grimm, which let out a panicked cry as it raised a claw to try and stop the boulder, the Black Dragon wincing slightly as he heard the sounds of bones breaking and flesh being crushed as the boulder landed atop the Grimm, a pool of blackish purple blood quickly forming beneath the boulder.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ebonhorn landed upon the ground, panting heavily as the battle began to take its toll. He gazed at the boulder, watching as the Twilight Grimm's tail, the only part not crushed by the boulder, twitched violently before stilling. He snorted loudly in disgust before turning his head towards the direction of the Moonglade, where the Green Dragonflight had made their home. Part of him wished to return, to aid those he had sworn to protect. But he knew that as soon as he set foot in Green Dragon territory, he would be killed without mercy for the crimes of his Father, perhaps rightly so.

It would be easy to just walk away, to live and fight another day. But in the process he would forsake his honour, and be no better then the rest of his kin. With a heavy heart, he rose into the air and flew towards the Moonglade, knowing fully well that he flew to what was undoubtedly his death…

 **00000000**

Ruby walked slowly forward, her finger gently wrapped around the trigger of _Crescent Rose_ , ready to fire should anything try and attack them. Behind her the sound of her friends footsteps echoed gently, along with the shuffling of clothing and in Jaune's case the clanking of armour. Torches lit the walls, casting eerie shadows in their light. Ruby didn't like any of this, not a single soul had made their presence known the moment they stepped into the Barrow, and she didn't know whether to be suspicious or worried.

The group soon came into an open area, thick vines clinging tightly in huge bundles to every surface of the room. She took a step forward, and felt her foot touch something that most certainly wasn't a vine. Looking down, she saw a blade resting on the vines, cautiously kneeling down and picking the blade up. It was Elven in design, that much was certain. But if it was here, then where was its owner.

"Um...guys?" Jaune gulped as he pointed to the ceiling. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."

Ruby and the others quickly looked up to where Jaune was pointing and gasped, the silence broken only by the sound of Ruby dropping the Elven blade. Hidden within the knot of vines was the hand of a Night Elf Sentinel, and it wasn't moving. Thinking quickly, Ruby leapt into the air and cut through the larger vines nearest the hand, a large bundle of intertwined vines suddenly falling with a loud thud. Jaune was the first to approach the bundle, quickly and carefully cutting through the vines, quickly recoiling upon seeing the Sentinel within...or at least what was left of her. Her body had been thoroughly crushed, shards of bone protruding through her skin and clothing, and some of the vines seemingly forced down her mouth and erupting from her stomach.

Oscar began to gag as he turned away and violently threw up on the spot, the rancid smell causing the others to turn away and hold their noses in response.

"Well at least you ain't vomit boy any more Jaune." Nora tried to joke, though it sounded forced even to her.

"Yeah, I'm ecstatic. Really." Jaune deadpanned as he himself tried not to throw up.

As Oscar wiped the spittle from his mouth, a faint groan caused them all to freeze as they turned to face the source of the noise, quickly spotting in the faint light one of the vine bundles beginning to move slightly. Without even thinking, Jaune ran towards it, quickly cutting through the vines, revealing the bruised face of a Sentinel, who gasped for breath as oxygen began to fill her lungs again.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked as he began to cut through the vines holding the Sentinel up, gently lowering her to the ground as the vines began to weaken.

"The...the Druids..." the Sentinel began to say, her words forced as she winced in pain. "You have to...to..."

The Sentinel fell silent as she lost consciousness, her eyes closing as her chest began to slowly rise and fall.

"It's okay, she's still alive." Jaune reassured as he pressed his finger against her neck. "That means there could be others that are still breathing in here."

"I'll stay and help," Ren offered, quickly drawing his weapons. "The rest of you go on ahead and find the Archdruid. And be careful."

"What do you think she meant by the Druids?" Oscar asked, turning to Ruby for an answer.

"Either they need saving or, more preferably, they need the crap beating out of them!" Nora answered instead, gripping _Magnhild_ tightly in the process.

"Will you two be okay?" Ruby asked, turning to both Ren and Jaune as they both cut down one of the other vine bundles, gently lowering it to the ground.

"Ruby, relax. What's the worst that could happen?" Jaune asked as he and Ren cut through the vines, his face falling upon seeing yet another mutilated Sentinel. "On second thought, please hurry."

Ruby nodded her head as she then turned to Nora and Oscar, the former tightening her grip on her hammer as the latter nervously gripped the branch he was holding.

"Let's go people." Ruby ordered, quickly moving deeper into the tunnel with Nora and Oscar close behind her.

It didn't take them long to find themselves in another room, quickly greeted by the sight of more Night Elven Sentinels lying dead on the floor, though these ones appeared to have been burned alive by intense flames, the ground black with soot and hot to the touch. Ruby precariously began to move forward, making it to an open chamber where she could hear what she was confident was intense chanting. Peering behind the corner was a group of five Druids, four of them male and the fifth female, channelling dark magic into a protective barrier, on the other side what was undoubtedly the sleeping form of Malfurion.

In the corner near the five Druid's were three Night Elven Sentinels, on their knee's with their hands behind their back, all of them gagged. Ruby seemed to recognise the one in the centre as the one who was always seen with Tyrande, Shandris she seemed to recall her name being. Whilst the other two bound Sentinels watched the five Druid's with spite, Shandris seemed to be focused on her back, the slow shuffling of her arms seemingly indicating that she was slowly cutting through whatever was being used to bind her.

Ruby then turned towards the five Druid's, her eyes going wide when she saw the one closest to the captive Sentinels slowly turning his head towards them, a feral beast like growl escaping his lips as he raised his free hand towards them, a red orb of energy growing in his palm. Without even thinking, Ruby raised her weapon and fired, the bullet echoing loudly in the room as it connected to the Druid's wrist, causing him to yell out in pain as he retracted his hand, his concentration breaking on the spell he had been casting, causing the other Druids concentration to break as they turned to face Ruby, who stood confidently at the rooms entrance, Nora and Oscar either side of her. She didn't recognise four of the Druid's, even in the light, though she immediately recognised the Druid in the centre, and wasn't entirely surprised.

"You again?! I knew I should have smothered you all in your sleep the day you entered the Moonglade!" Staghelm hissed as he stepped forward, his face set in a scowl as he glared at the three of them.

"Fandral, you did this, didn't you?" Ruby said accusingly, taking a daring step forward. "You started the Nightmare, didn't you?"

In response, the Archdruid let out a hearty laugh as he tilted his head back, the three of them stopping to look at one another before the Archdruid continued.

"Yes and no, fool. Xavius WAS the true Nightmare Lord, but he would never have been able to plant its seeds without my aid." Staghelm explained, holding his arms out as if basking in the glory.

"But why? After everything the Green Dragonflight have done for you, why betray them?" Oscar asked, lowering his guard slightly in the process.

"Their deaths are a necessary sacrifice for our people to prosper." Staghelm defending, turning to Oscar as he spoke. "We Kaldorei would have become the dominant force in all of Remnant, just as the Master promised."

"The Master?" Nora asked, raising an eyebrow at the fallen Archdruid in the process.

"Deathwing..." Ruby hissed as she gripped her weapon tighter, fighting the urge to just put a bullet between the Archdruid's eyes.

"Deathwing? No, my Master is he who was ancient when this world was young, he who would consume all in pillars of shadow." Staghelm clarified, before turning to the barrier where Malfurion slept. "He promised me vengeance for my son, vengeance that was robbed from me by the fool Malfurion, who would rather have peace then justice."

"Is that why you're trying to kill him? To get your revenge?" Ruby asked, gesturing to the slumbering form of Malfurion as she spoke.

"Revenge is meaningless, though I would gladly slay him either way." Staghelm sneered, growling slightly as he tried to stare the young Huntress down, though to no avail. "It just so happens that it is required for my plan to succeed. When he and the Aspect are found murdered, by human hands nonetheless, it will be all that is needed for us to take what is rightfully ours. We know that your Kingdoms are weak and divided, all we have to do is cut the wheat from the chaff, and the Kaldorei will rule this world as we were meant to."

"Well your plan's failed." Ruby grinned smugly, the Archdruid narrowing his eyes in confusion at the statement. "The Twilight's Hammer assassin failed, Maiev killed her. Ysera is safe and sound."

As soon as the Archdruid heard those words his eyes went wide with fury, his scowl growing larger as a snarl escaped his lips. The Druid's around him began to back away slowly, as if just now regretting their life choices. It was then that the clatter of rope hitting the floor was heard, along with the drawing of a blade. All of them turned to the source, Shandris now stood with a knife in her hand, a scowl on her face as she cut through the cords of rope binding the other two Sentinels, who drew their weapons in return.

"It is indeed over Staghelm." a commanding voice then ordered, the Archdruid's eyes going wide s he turned to face its source, Ruby's eyes going wide as well upon noticing who the voice belonged to, a smile quickly spreading across her face.

Standing behind the barrier, now fully awake was Malfurion Stormrage, his eyes filled with both pity and scorn. The barrier lowered as the Archdruid approached, the four Druid's around Fandral backing away slightly from their leader. With a yell Fandral launched an orb of solar energy at Malfurion, who quickly batted the magical projectile away with his staff before launching another orb at Staghelm, who cried out in pain as it collided with his face, knocking him to the ground.

"Shan'do!" the female Druid cried, quickly rushing to Fandral and falling to her knees as she helped the fallen Archdruid to his feet. The other Druid's quickly rushed to their master, surrounding him in a defensive ring. Staghelm hissed loudly as he rubbed his face, a brutal burn scarring the left side of his face. One of the Druid's then cupped his hands together as black shadows danced around his hands, seemingly dripping onto the floor beneath him.

"This...isn't...over..." Staghelm hissed as the Druid then raised his hands to the ceiling, the shadows quickly swallowing the five Druid's before dispersing, leaving only empty space where they once stood.

Malfurion frowned as he took a step towards the space the former Archdruid had been, tapping the end of his staff on the ground the Archdruid had been standing upon. He then turned as the three Sentinels approached and dropped to their knees, lowering their heads as a sign of respect.

"Welcome back, Shan'do Stormrage." Shandris said, before looking up at the Archdruid. "It is good to have you with us once more."

The Archdruid smiled as he then turned to Ruby and her friends, the three of them dropping to their knees in a similar manner to the Sentinels. Ruby looked up and watched as the Archdruid took a deep breath before exhaling, his smile growing wider as he closed his eyes.

"It is good to be back."

 **00000000**

 **And done. So Staghelm was the traitor, absolutely surprising no one. Liked it? Feel free to review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your review. Next update is February 24th.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


	25. End of the Beginning

**Hello everyone, I'm back! I'm feeling a lot better now, so let's get this chapter on the road, shall we? First, review response time. Shadowwolf1997; that assumption is correct...probably. And TheFelRoseOfTerror; well, you know, it's more that he blames his kin for letting the death of his son go unpunished. After all, in this time-line, his son was killed by human invaders, not forces of the Old God's. Now, on with the show!**

 **00000000**

 **Chapter 25- End of the Beginning**

"On the count of three! One...two...three!"

Ruby pushed forward with all her might, letting out an involuntary grunt as she, alongside a group of Night Elves, pushed one of the many posts that had been knocked down during the attack on the Moonglade back into place. There was a number of murmurs as the other Night Elves pushed against the wooden structure, as well as a few panicked murmurs as the post tilted a little too far for their liking. Eventually, after a few close calls, the post was secured, the Night Elves backing away cautiously, almost as if they were afraid the post could collapse at any given moment. Fate seemed to be on the Night Elves side however, as the post stood adamant, causing the group of Night Elves to let out sighs of relief as they congratulated each other.

"Good job everyone." Ruby complemented, lightly jabbing one of the nearby Night Elves in the shoulder. The Kaldorei simply looked down at their shoulder before looking back up at the red cloaked Huntress, staring at her in confusion. Ruby simply chuckled sheepishly as she backed away from the Night Elf, before turning to look at her surroundings.

It had been a few days since the attack on the Moonglade, yet judging by how pristine the glade looked now she would have had a hard time believing that it had been attacked at all. Homes were being rebuilt, wounds were being tended to and the dead had been buried, even the Gnolls. After their leader, Hogger Jaune had said he'd been called, was killed and his head ran through the vale, the remaining Gnolls had panicked and began to fight one another, quickly allowing the Night Elves a chance to regroup and push back the invading forces, a task made much easier as more and more Green Dragons and Druids who had been trapped in the Nightmare began to wake up.

Then there was the betrayal of Staghelm. When his betrayal was revealed, there was a notable shock-wave of emotions. Some had always suspected the Archdruid was up to no good and weren't at all surprised. Some whilst not trusting of him were certainly shocked nonetheless about his betrayal. Those who had openly supported the Archdruid were the most broken by the betrayal...at least the ones who were still present. A small number of Druids had vanished the day the Archdruid escaped, taking most of their possessions with them, no doubt in order to find and serve their dark master.

"Miss Rose." a rough voice spoke, snapping Ruby out of her thoughts as she turned to face its owner, the Warden Shadowsong. "High Priestess Whisperwind and Archdruid Stormrage wish to speak with you."

"Right, of course." Ruby responded, quickly following the Warden deeper into the Moonglade.

Eventually, Ruby found herself standing before the grand building she had been brought to when they first arrived, though this time as a guest, not a bound prisoner. Night Elven Sentinels and Druids stood at attention around the building, and inside Ruby could recognise the shapes of both the Archdruid and the High Priestess, who appeared to be in deep conversation with a third figure who Ruby could not see properly. Maiev stood at attention before the three figures, quietly kneeling down as she lowered her head in respect. At first there was no response from the figures, so engrossed in their own conversation as to notice the Warden Commander. Maiev let out a short cough, causing both Tyrande and Malfurion to turn towards her, their eyes immediately focusing instead on Ruby Rose.

"Thank you, Warden Shadowsong." Tyrande thanked, before gesturing to the side. "You may leave us now."

"As you wish, High Priestess." Maiev responded, quickly standing up and saluting the Night Elven leader before leaving the room, her footsteps echoing throughout the hallway.

"Miss Rose." Tyrande began, gesturing towards the awkward Huntress in question before turning towards Malfurion himself. "The Archdruid has told me of your valour within the Emerald Dream, and of the part yo and your friends played in uncovering the betrayal of Fandral Staghelm. For that, we owe you more then our lives."

"It was nothing, really." Ruby defended, waving her hand out in front of her. "I just did what was right."

"Indeed you did." Malfurion added, his beard swaying slightly as he spoke. "But do not think that denotes your actions. Were it not for you, Fandral could have taken us on a path from which there would be no return."

"Where will he have gone?" Ruby asked, genuinely curious as she leaned forward, partly so she could identify the third person still in shadows. She couldn't make anything out about the features of the third individual, only that they were female. Another Night Elf perhaps?

"I do not know." Malfurion responded, a frown marring his features. "No doubt he will have retreated to his 'Twilight Hammer' allies in search of shelter, or at the very least to better serve his master."

"And who is his master?" Ruby asked.

"He serves the Void, which knows only one thing..." a new voice answered, causing both the Archdruid and High Priestess to turn to its source, the third figure. "Endless hunger."

The third figure then began to move forward into the light. They were indeed a Night Elf, at least that's how they looked, for even Ruby could feel an ancient power brimming from within them. They wore forest green armour over their lilac skin, with a flowing cloak that seemed to have a mind of its own. From their head sprouted a pair of horns, and their eyes glowed with power. Eyes that Ruby recognised.

"Lady Ysera!" Ruby gasped, immediately dropping to her knees and averting her gaze from the Dragon Aspect. In response, Ysera let out a chuckle as she held her hand out towards the young Huntress.

"Rise, Miss Rose." Ysera ordered, causing the red cloaked Huntress to stand up immediately in response. "I have yet to thank you properly for the part you played in my rescue. For that, you have the eternal gratitude of me and the Green Dragonflight."

"Well, it wasn't just me." Ruby sheepishly responded, rubbing her arms. "There were my friends as well..."

"Yes, they too played a part in safeguarding our future, as did one who's help I did not expect." Ysera added, causing Ruby to lift her head up in confusion. "Bring him in."

A pair of doors at the side suddenly opened, and in stepped through three figures. Ruby recognised the armour of two of the figures, immediately recognising them a pair of Night Elven guards, but it was the third figure in the centre, who Ruby recognised the second the doors opened.

"Ebonhorn!" Ruby shouted, quickly rushing towards the disguised Black Dragon and hugging him, which he returned shortly afterwards.

"He surrendered himself to my children a few days ago." Ysera explained as she turned towards the disguised Black Dragon. "He would have been killed on sight had it not been for my intervention, for although he shares the blood of the Betrayer, I see in him what his Father once was: a paragon of peace and justice."

"Lady Ysera," Ebonhorn began, dropping to his knees as he lowered his head. "I do not deserve your mercy, though I am eternally thankful for it."

"Rise, Son of Neltharion." Ysera ordered, to which Ebonhorn did so slowly. "Let all crimes be forgiven and all trespasses forgotten, for the threat of your Father draws ever closer."

"The Hour of Twilight..." Ebonhorn said, to which the Dragon Aspect nodded.

"What is this Hour of Twilight?" Tyrande asked, to which Ysera turned towards the High Priestess.

"It is the end of all creation, when the Elemental Lords are free to wreak havoc across the world as they did aeons ago." Ysera responded. "Humanity was charged to forever watch over four Relics which kept the Elements imprisoned, though for the first time in millennia, they are failing. One Relic has already fallen into the hands of the Twilight's Hammer, and it is only a matter of time before the others follow. If they succeed, then all life on Remnant will be forever lost, and the Void will have claimed another world."

"Which is why we have to stop them." Ruby said, causing Ebonhorn to look at Ruby in shock, to which the Huntress returned his gaze. "I know I said I wanted to return home, and I still do. But if the Twilight's Hammer succeed, because I could have stopped them and I didn't, then there won't be a home to return too. I have to do this."

Ebonhorn said nothing, though the small smile on his face spoke for him, the Black Dragon slowly nodding his head.

"You do not need to do this alone, Miss Rose." Ysera said, causing all to turn to the Dragon Aspect in question. "Myself and the Green Dragonflight shall join you in your journey. Together, we will stop Deathwing and his dark masters."

"As shall we." Malfurion suddenly said, causing all to turn towards the Archdruid. "Myself and Tyrande have been talking, and we both agreed that Fandral must answer for his crimes. And now that we know of this Hour of Twilight, there is all the more reason to join your cause."

"Archdruid Stormrage." Ysera began, taking a step towards the Archdruid and High Priestess. "If I leave this vale, my blessing will remain. You will still be one with the forests that you swore to protect. But the second you leave, you will lose that blessing. Your connection to nature will wane over time, and you will be susceptible to the sands of time. You will become mortal."

The Archdruid turned towards Tyrande, who gave him a firm nod which was returned, before the Archdruid turned to face Ysera.

"If such a thought is enough to give us pause, then perhaps we have lived long enough as it is." Malfurion rebuked, to which the Dragon Aspect gave him a small smile, along with a nod of approval.

"Then let us not waste another second." Ysera proclaimed, before turning towards Ruby and Ebonhorn. "Tomorrow, we begin our fight, to defend this world."

 **00000000**

"Is everything packed?" Jaune asked as he checked his rucksack, turning towards Ren and Nora.

"I think so." Ren responded as he slung his bag over his shoulder and turned to Nora. "You have everything?"

"Yes!" Nora exclaimed loudly as she slung her bag on her back, not even bothering to check the contents within.

"Are you sure?" Ren asked, his brow arced slightly.

"Yes!"

"Do you want to check?"

"Nope!"

"Okay then..." Jaune slowly said as he turned towards Oscar, who was still fiddling with his own bag. "What about you? You ready?"

"I think I have everything..." Oscar said as he made a last minute check. "Yes, I'm good to go."

"The journey will take many days, weeks even." a deep voice warned, causing all to turn towards Ebonhorn, who was in his Dragon form. "Be sure you have enough supplies to last the journey, for I fear we won't be stopping."

"Where are we going anyway?" Ren asked the Black Dragon, who turned his gargantuan head towards the green clad ninja.

"Ysera believes that Deathwing and the Twilight's Hammer are held up within an old fortress on the Dragon Isles." Ebonhorn explained, the earth trembling with every word spoken. "That is where we are headed."

"Well guess there's only one way to find out..." Jaune murmured as he made a step towards the Black Dragon, followed closely by Ren, Nora and Oscar.

"Take it you're all ready to go?" a voice suddenly asked, causing all to turn and face it, where they were greeted by the sight of Ruby, who had her own bag slung over her shoulder.

"Ready when you are." Jaune answered, causing Ruby to nod slightly as she took a step forward.

"Really?...Thought you could leave without me knowing?" a rough voice asked, its seemingly stern tone laced with humour.

Ruby froze at the voice, her eyes going wide as she slowly turned around to greet its owner.

"Uncle Qrow?..." Ruby said, her vision blurring as tears began to fill her eyes.

Standing before her was her Uncle, who was notably less pale then he had been, his stomach and arm wrapped in clean bandages and his sword strapped to his back. Before either could say another word, Ruby ran to her Uncle, embracing him in a tight hug which the veteran Huntsman returned.

"Qrow...I'm so sorry, for everything I said..." Ruby began, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"It's okay, kiddo." Qrow responded slowly, gently rubbing Ruby's shoulder. "I'm sorry too."

The two simply stood there, unmoving, for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, both Qrow and Ruby pulled away from one another, the former looking up to where Jaune and the others were gathered.

"So, from what I've been told, you've been rather busy." Qrow began, folding his arms as he grinned slightly. "And that you're going to make a stand against Deathwing after all."

"Are you coming with us?" Ruby asked, hoping that the answer would be yes. However, instead her Uncle slowly shook his head, a small sigh escaping his lips.

"I wish I could kiddo, but I still have business in Mistral." Qrow answered. "I need to speak with the Headmaster at Haven. But after I've spoken with him, I'll come find you, I promise."

Ruby nodded in response, taking a step back from her Uncle before turning around and walking towards Ebonhorn, pausing when she was only a few feet away from the Black Dragon.

"I love you, Uncle Qrow." Ruby said, before she stepped towards the Dragon and slid onto his back.

"I love you too kiddo..." Qrow responded as he waved at the group before strolling back into the forest, quickly disappearing from sight.

Ruby bit back tears as both Jaune and Oscar hopped onto the Black Dragons back, with Nora and Ren taking position near the Dragons fore-claws. Without so much as another word, Ebonhorn grabbed hold of both Ren and Nora, quickly taking to the air with a single beat of his wings. He burst through the forest foliage into the open sky, where he was greeted by a throng of Green Dragons, their Emerald scales glistening in the sunlight. The Dragons were joined by hundreds of Druids who had taken on the forms of great birds, who flew around in intricate patterns, whilst below them Night Elves sat upon Nightsabers, the big cats roaring as they prepared to march. At the head of the Dragons flew Ysera, her gargantuan form dwarfing all the other Dragons, even Ebonhorn.

"Come, children of the forest!" Ysera roared, her voice echoing loudly around her. "The time for justice has finally dawned!"

With a single beat of her wings Ysera spun around and flew north, the Dragons and Night Elves following her. Ebonhorn was quick to fly forward, Ruby and her friends gripping onto the hide of the Dragon tightly.

"This is it..." Ruby murmured quietly to herself as she felt the wind push against her face. "This is where it begins..."

 **00000000**

 **And that's it. The story is over. It's been a long journey with a few stumbles here and there, but we got to the end nonetheless. But the story doesn't end here, my friends. For as we all know, RWBY doesn't just follow the story of Ruby Rose. There are still other tales to tell, and the next one will be coming soon, where we will explore the trials of Weiss Schnee and the crisis in Atlas in 'Of Ice and Dragons', the first chapter of which will premier April 7th. It's been a lot of fun writing and finishing this story, and I'll see you all soon in the sequel.**

 **Raging Archon out.**


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